PORT BLAIR: Cochin Shipyard Ltd (CSL) has signed an MoU with Andaman & Nicobar Administration to take up the operation and maintenance of the marine dry-dock at Port Blair.
This is expected to help the Andaman & Nicobar Administration prop up the operational efficiency of its Marine Dockyard and ensure faster turnaround of vessels for seamless operations.
Under the MoU, CSL will assist the Administration in 1) setting up a Ship repair Eco-system at A&N islands, (b) Augmentation & Modernization of Marine Dockyard and (c) Skill Development & Training schemes for A&N Islands.
While the bigger ships owned by Andaman & Nicobar Administration are capable of traversing the sea to Mainland India for repairs, the remaining ships & vessels are dependent on the facilities in the island for their maintenance & upkeep, which is currently handled by the Directorate of Shipping Services through its Marine Dockyard Facility at Port Blair.
The MoU was signed on September 25, in New Delhi by chairman and managing director of CSL, Madhu Nair , and Ankita Mishra Bundela, IAS, Commissioner-cum-Secretary (Shipping), A&N Administration.
CSL had earlier signed an MoU with Andaman & Nicobar Aministration in December 2016, for the repair of large sea-going vessels owned by them and this arrangement is still on.
The Andaman & Nicobar Islands, one of the seven union territories (UT) of India, are a group of islands at the juncture of the Bay of Bengal and Andaman Sea. It comprises two island groups, the Andaman Islands and the Nicobar Islands whose capital is Port Blair.
The islands have a key position in India’s strategic role in the Bay of Bengal and the Malacca Strait. The local population and the islands’ economy are heavily dependent on water transport. The Administration owns & operates around 84 Mainland-Island & Inter-Island vessels for passenger/cargo transport.
