L&T bags first shipbuilding job

Larsen & Toubro Ltd (L&T), India’s largest engineering and construction conglomerate with additional interests in electricals, has forayed into the shipbuilding business by securing a $98 million contract from the Netherlands-based Zadeko Ship Management CV to construct four ships.

The ro-ro/lo-lo semi-submersible heavy lift vessels will be built at a new shipyard, part of the L&T’s engineering complex at Hazira in Surat, and the production of the ships is scheduled to commence in July. The newbuildings will be highly specialized ships with a deadweight capacity of over 8,250 tonnes, 17,000 cubic metres of cargo hold and have a container capacity of 830 TEU.

M. Naik, Chairman and Managing Director, L&T, said shipbuilding would significantly expand the company’s high technology manufacturing capabilities and represented another major step forward in meeting the company’s strategic growth objectives. Other leading shipping companies across the world are also in touch with the company for their fleet expansion requirements.

The new venture would be aligned with the national priority for extending India’s shipbuilding capabilities and enhancing the country’s share of the global shipbuilding market, said Naik. Zadeko, the Rotterdam-based shipping company, caters to special purpose cargo movement and it will continue its association with L&T for its future vessel acquisition programme across a series of vessels.

L&T’s Hazira shipyard will focus on construction of commercial vessels and warships for the navy as well as the coast guard. The company would adopt modular construction and seamless work-flow techniques at its shipyard to meet the stringent delivery schedules. The yard will have the capacity to construct vessels up to 150 m long with a displacement of 20,000 tonnes.