Cochin Shipyard stares at a lean order book

The hullabaloo over the Centre granting in-principle approval for construction of a whole new drydock at the public sector Cochin Shipyard (CSL) at an estimated cost of Rs 1,200 crore notwithstanding, the yard is left with just one commercial order at the moment.

With the hull fabrication work of the indigenous aircraft carrier INS Vikrant nearing completion by the year-end, the hull shop of CSL will be without work in a few months.

The hull shop, having a capacity to fabricate over 1,500 tonnes every month, has been under-utilised since July last year for want of orders barring the fast patrol vessels (FPVs) for the Coast Guard which need just about 100 tonnes of fabrication apiece and a platform supply vessel for Norwegian owners.

While outfitting and shafting have gathered momentum on Vikrant, the carrier is gearing up for its launch from the building bay by the end of the year, indicate sources.

“The carrier only has about 1,200 tonnes of steel left to go on the structure. Right now, it has a tonnage of about 24,000.”

The yard was pinning it hopes on bagging meaty defence orders like at least one of the four Landing Platform Docks (LPDs), each weighing 20,000 tonnes, that the Indian Navy intends to procure. However, it was disallowed to take part in the tendering process citing the ongoing Vikrant construction despite being the only Indian yard with a proven capability and capacity to execute a project of that scale.

A committee appointed following an outcry against the move threw open the possibility of construction of two LPDs between Hindustan Shipyard, another public sector yard which was nominated for the project, and the CSL, but the report was firmly set aside. Nevertheless, the yard continues to bid for defence projects, the latest being the tender for new generation anti-submarine corvettes.

Sources say excluding the carrier, construction of the FPVs, the PSV and the buoy tender vessel for the Directorate of Light Houses and Light Ships will all be over by the year-end or in the first quarter of 2015.

The planned drydock, they contend, is to cater to multiple segments like underwater repair of rigs and semi-submersibles, LNG carriers (four being planed by GAIL) and bigger defence vessels.

The yard has already been qualified by the ONGC for offshore fabrication. “We are on the look out for opportunities in this sector,” says an official.

The proposed drydock will have an overall length of 300 metres, with the first 135 metres having a width of 100 metres and the remaining 165 metres having a tapered width of 65 metres.