Colombo Dockyard holds keel-laying ceremony for GCPI vessels

Sri Lankan shipbuilder Colombo Dockyard (CDPLC) held a keel-laying ceremony on December 4 for two vessels ordered by Toyota Tsusho Corporation (TTC) on behalf of General Company for Ports of Iraq (GCPI).

TTC is the prime contractor of GCPI for the project. CDPLC, as TTC’s preferred shipbuilder, will be constructing a 50-metre catamaran-type pilot station vessel (pictured) and a 60-metre buoy tender.

The pilot station vessel will be used to transport pilots and provisions, provide pilots with accommodation services, and provide station and necessary support for pilot boats. It will have two diesel engines delivering a speed of 14 knots and fully air-conditioned accommodation for 47 persons.

The buoy tender is designed to retrieve and launch marine navigation buoys, to provide repair and maintenance to buoys, and to transport buoys, spare parts, and general cargo. It will have twin diesel engines delivering a speed of 12 knots, a crane with a 22-tonne lifting capacity, and fully air-conditioned living quarters for 29 persons.

Both vessels were designed by MTX Marine Design and Consultants of Singapore and are scheduled for delivery in August 2020.