Small, efficient shipbuilding
The steel-hulled passenger ship that has just been completed and successfully tested in Cam Ranh City (Khanh Hoa Province) is the first of its kind built at Cam Ranh Shipbuilding Company, a member of the Shipbuilding Industry Corporation (SBIC). The shape of the ship is quite unique, with two hulls supporting a deck area of nearly 500 square meters. According to Mr. Vo Ngoc Tuan, Deputy Director of Cam Ranh Shipbuilding Company, with the purpose of transporting passengers on Nha Trang Bay (Khanh Hoa), this ship model is designed with two hulls to ensure stability. The deck area of the ship is relatively spacious to meet the entertainment needs of passengers. “Although it is not a large-capacity ship, building a steel-hulled passenger ship requires quite high technical requirements, in addition to ensuring aesthetics from shape, structure to interior details” – Mr. Vo Ngoc Tuan shared. After completing the first ship, the second ship is also in the final stages of completion. The demand for steel-hulled cruise ships in Khanh Hoa province in particular and localities associated with sea tourism in general is assessed as having great potential.
While in the past, domestic shipbuilding units strongly developed many models of cargo ships and large-tonnage container ships, now orders for building new ships of this type are very limited. Therefore, each unit must make efforts to find new markets to maintain production. Saigon Shipbuilding Industry Company (SSIC) is currently focusing on passenger ferry products with the special feature of aluminum cabins, which are lighter and more durable. The company has built the 7th ferry, preparing to hand over to customers. “These ferries are self-propelled, serving the transport route from Ha Tien town (Kien Giang) to Phu Quoc island. The ferry can carry about 400 passengers along with cars and motorbikes,” said Mr. Nguyen Manh Duc, Deputy Director of SSIC. The successful construction of passenger ferries has opened up a promising direction for SSIC in developing aluminum-hulled ship products.
When there are not many new orders, the ship repair sector has become a “lifesaver” for many domestic shipbuilding units. Taking advantage of available facilities with the ability to repair ships with a capacity of up to 25,000 tons, SSIC Company undertakes to repair dozens of ships each year, creating more jobs for workers. Also located in Ho Chi Minh City, Saigon Shipmarin currently has two floating docks with the ability to repair ships with a capacity of up to 27,000 tons. The company’s average annual revenue from repairs is about 80 billion VND. According to Mr. Do Van Khoa, Director of Saigon Shipmarin, the demand for ship repair is quite abundant as the water transport industry has developed quite rapidly in recent times.
Covering working capital shortfalls
Even if a new shipbuilding contract is found, the concerns of many units cannot be resolved. One of the biggest difficulties for SBIC’s affiliated enterprises at present is the lack of working capital. After signing a contract with a partner, they have to find many ways to get capital to guarantee the contract and purchase materials and equipment for the shipbuilding project. Cam Ranh Shipbuilding Company is negotiating to implement a contract to build 3 new barges for a partner from Norway. “The negotiations are going smoothly, along with that, we are looking for every possible source to mobilize capital. It is very difficult for the company to access credit from banks because the shipbuilding industry has encountered many difficulties in the past time,” said Mr. Le Van Hai, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Cam Ranh Shipbuilding Company.
In addition, some shipyards, although having invested in facilities, still do not ensure synchronization, such as: Cam Ranh Shipbuilding Company, although the ramp can build ships up to 20,000 tons, does not have a pier. Newly built ships after launching must anchor at a temporary pier, greatly affecting the company’s operations. The unit has established an investment project to build a pier to accommodate ships of 30,000 tons with a capital of about 70 billion VND. In the context of the shipbuilding industry still facing many challenges as it is now, finding this amount of capital is not an easy problem to solve. To continue to maintain and develop production, the immediate solution for shipbuilding units is to use customers’ advances as working capital. In the long term, if the shipbuilding industry wants to truly develop in the direction of improving product technical content and increasing value, it needs systematic investment as well as support of essential resources.
Article and photos: MANH HUNG
(QĐND)
