The Minister of Fisheries, Aquatic and Ocean Resources, Ramalingam Chandrasekar, this morning (21) conducted a special inspection visit to the boatyard of Cey-Nor Foundation Limited in Mattakkuliya to review the progress of a large vessel being constructed for a private sector company in Mauritius. The vessel is currently 90% complete.
This modern vessel, measuring 55 feet in length and valued at approximately 250,000 US dollars, is expected to be handed over to Mauritius in the near future. Addressing the gathering, the Minister emphasized that although Ceynor had faced neglect in previous years, the present government is committed to transforming the institution into a globally recognized dockyard enterprise by effectively utilizing its existing human and physical resources.
“Cey-Nor is an institution with tremendous potential to reach the international stage. Over the years, it has manufactured a large number of fishing vessels used throughout the country. While we currently produce one vessel of this scale annually, we are planning to double that capacity in the future. During our recent visit to Norway, agreements were reached to secure technical assistance, and during our upcoming visit to Japan early next month, we also expect to gain access to advanced technology and expertise for Cey-Nor,” the Minister stated.
Chairman of the Cey-Nor Foundation Limited, Wasantha Mannapperuma, noted that plans are underway to manufacture four large vessels annually by maximizing the capacities of both the Mattakkuliya and Karainagar boatyards. This initiative is expected to generate more than one million US dollars in foreign exchange earnings. Cey-Nor will play a major role in achieving the Ministry of Fisheries’ four-year target of increasing export revenue from the current 300 million US dollars to 600 million US dollars.
A group of senior officials representing both the Ministry and the Cey-Nor foundation also participated in the event.
