Western Marine Shipyard

History

The parent company, Western Marine Services, was formed by a group of marine professionals specialized in ship repairs and the export of marine supplies.

Gradually the company grew. In the year 2000 they had over 1.5 acres of land for building inland vessels, and more than five hundred employees. The yard also has signed a MoU with the Chittagong Dry Dock in order to aid the CDD with developing heavy steel engineering capabilities and provide them necessary technical support.

Western Marine is constructing 20 class certified cargo vessels for local company Evergreen Shipping Line.

In 2019, Captain Sohail Hasan took over as Managing Director (MD) of the company.

Shipyard facilities

The shipyard utilizes workshops, logistical resources, and equipment to build ships. The yard stands over 42 acres of land and employs a workforce of over 3500 altogether.

The following are some of the shipyard's facilities:

• Bonded warehouse
• Blasting shop
• Computer Numerical Control(CNC) shop
• Mechanical and Carpentry shop
• Fabrication yard and shed
• Gantry crane
• Healthcare facilities

Health and safety

In conjunction with the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) Western Marine set itself to analyze the risks and hazards their workers faced. Through this, strict reporting procedures were established, and training was provided for managers and workers; including annual firefighting training. Western Marine has seen a 99% reduction in accidents for the addition of new services and procedures.

The shipyard contains a PHCC (Primary Health Care Center), which was created in coordination with the GIZ and the Bangladesh Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. In this free-of-charge facility, shipyard workers are given tests for their hearing, lungs, and total physical checkups. This facility was available for use, and workers received aid and treatment. The government Health Ministry provided a nurse in addition to the doctor and paramedics that are provided by the shipyard. This facility is also accessible to the local community, where more than 30,000 people, including many of the workers and their families, live.

Awards and certifications

Western Marine Shipyard has received a few awards, including the National Maritime Award in 2007, the National Export Trophy in Gold category for the contribution of the fiscal year of 2011, the President's Award for Industrial Development in the Hi-Tech industries category at 2016 and the 8th HSBC Export Excellence Awards at 2018.

Projects

Western Marine Shipyard exported 31 ships to various countries of the world (Finland, Germany, Pakistan, Denmark, Tanzania, Uganda, Ecuador, New Zealand, Gambia, Kenya, India, UAE, etc.) and brought around US$151 Million of remittance. The yard has built more than 60 ships which includes ocean going multi purpose cargo vessels, passenger vessels & boats, oil tankers, ro-ro ferries, pontoons, barges, fishing trawlers, dredgers, tug boats, container vessels, and more, with further plans to export more than $250 million worth of ships. Western Marine operates in conjunction with classification societies through the entire building and testing process of new vessels. The yard has worked with Bureau Veritas, DNV-GL, Nippon Kaiji Kyokai (ClassNK), and Lloyd's Register to insure class built ships for their buyers.

Financial Issues

In 2017, the Finance Minister of Bangladesh, Abul Maal Abdul Muhith, identified WMS as one of the top twenty loan defaulters in the country. However, the shipyard has rescheduled its defaulted loans with two banks and has started to repay instalments regularly.

In 2021, Bank Asia initiated legal proceedings against Western Marine Shipyard Limited in an effort to recoup a classified loan totalling Tk505.90 crore.

References

References

1. "Display Company Information".
2. (2017-08-14). "Western Marine hands over $18m vessel built for Kenya". The Daily Star.
3. Ahmed, Muzaffar. (Summer 2018). "Credit Rating Report on Western Marine Shipyard Limited". Security and Exchange Commission Bangladesh.
4. "Display Company Information | Dhaka Stock Exchange".
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6. www.trusteddocks.com. "Shipyard - WESTERN MARINE SHIPYARD LIMITED, Chittagong".
7. (2018-01-10). "Western Marine, Ctg. Drydock Reach Deal". Daily Sun.
8. (2017-04-24). "S Alam Group to buy 20 ships at Tk 250cr". The Daily Star.
9. "Sohail Hasan WMS new MD - Business - observerbd.com". The Daily Observer.
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11. Zahan, Tasnima. (Fall 2016). "Exposition of Aspiration: Shipbuilding Journey Through Design". BRAC University.
12. Evans, Ruth. (2014-01-02). "Bangladesh shipbuilder sets benchmark in health and safety standards". the Guardian.
13. (2014-05-28). "Western Marine shows path to worker safety". The Daily Star.
14. (2007-11-10). "Western Marine Shipyard gets nat'l maritime award". The Daily Star.
15. Khan, Ahammad Parvej. (2018-01-26). "Ship Export To Fetch Billions". The Bangladesh Post.
16. (2016-03-31). "12 firms get President's Award". The Daily Star.
17. (2018-09-23). "HSBC felicitates top exporters". The Daily Star.
18. "Western Marine wins int'l award". The Financial Express.
19. (2018-01-21). "Western Marine to export $250m worth of vessels in 5yrs". The Daily Star.
20. "Western Marine to Build SOLAS Passanger [sic] Ship (Bangladesh)". World Maritime News.
21. (2010-02-11). "Local-made ship to prevent oil spillage in sea". The Daily Star.
22. "World Fishing & Aquaculture {{!}} Bangladesh's largest trawler completes sea trial".
23. (September 2025). "Bangladesh: Western Marine Shipyard Set to Deliver Two Ships to Grona Shipping". World Maritime News.
24. "State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam poses with the Ionatana Galway O'Brien, Transport Minister of a New Zealand Territory, Tokelau and his team for pre-launching ceremony of MV Mataliki, an int'l SOLAS passenger ship made by Western Marine Shipyard in Chittagong on Thursday.". The New Nation.
25. (2013-02-19). "Bangladesh Shipyard Delivers Ferry 'Isefjord'". Maritime Logistics Professional.
26. "BD exports WMS-built ship to Ecuador". The Daily Observer.
27. (2015-09-23). "Western Marine exports ship to Ecuador". The Daily Star.
28. Martin, Guy. (17 August 2017). "Kenyan offshore patrol vessel handed over {{!}} defenceWeb".
29. (2017-10-25). "Western Marine builds two ships for Indian firm". The Daily Star.
30. (2012-01-30). "Western Marine hands passenger ship to Ctg Boat Club". The Daily Star.
31. "Bangladesh: Western Marine Starts Construction of Tankers for Nurjahan Group". World Maritime News.
32. (2014-11-04). "Tanzania Transport Ministry to receive new passenger vessel - Ship Technology". Ship Technology.
33. (2017-11-13). "Western Marine to spend Tk 500cr on expansion". The Daily Star.
34. (2021-08-23). "Journey of a shipbuilder: From exporter to loss-making venture".
35. (2022-06-12). "Western Marine Shipyard goods seized".