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Colombo Dockyard launches rapid response afloat repair service

colombodockyard
The official launch of the rapid response afloat repair service (RRARS) by Colombo Dockyard plc (CDPLC) signalled the return to normalcy of Sri Lanka’s shipping operations, which had been disrupted by the church bombings in Colombo at Easter.

The RRARS is a dedicated unit to handle afloat/voyage repairs, with service capability at Colombo, Galle, Trincomalee and Hambantota ports. Its launch was carried out at the city’s Marino Beach in the presence of a gathering of prominent members of the Sri Lankan shipping fraternity, including shipowners, service providers and classification societies.

The symbolic axing and launching were carried out jointly by CDPLC’s chairman, Hideki Tanaka, managing director and ceo, D V Abeysinghe, and general manager (Ship Repair Business), Benny Fernando.

RRARS was soft-launched in 2017, and has been in operation over the past two years, steadily gaining the confidence of shipping entities calling at Sri Lankan ports.

The rapid response team has been strengthened and systems streamlined to accommodate inquiries effectively and to minimise downtime. The reliability and versatility of the service is being augmented with spare parts back up from OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers) and CDPLC’s own integrated supply/logistics network.

“The value proposition to the end user – which could be the shipowner, ship manager or local agent in this equation – is swift response and superior-quality afloat repair services that are world class, at one of the strategic locations in the South Asian maritime map,” said Abeysinghe.

“Since its soft launch two years back, the RRARS has successfully undertaken over a hundred projects, including 68 jobs in 2017, 83 jobs in 2018 and 38 jobs up to end-May 2019.”

Colombo Dockyard plc is a company registered with the Board of Investment of Sri Lanka, and is listed on the Colombo Stock Exchange. It operates in collaboration with Japan’s Onomichi Dockyard Co. Ltd.