Kolkata: The state government is working on revitalisation of the 137-year-old Shalimar Shipyard in Shibpur, Howrah and further augment its business volume in the days to come. State Transport minister Shehasis Chakraborty, on Thursday, along with senior officials of his department, visited the Shalimar Shipyard and held a meeting with senior officers of the organisation so that a professional approach can be undertaken for improving its business prospects.
A Transport department official said that certain changes in the present functioning of the Shalimar Shipyard need to be made so it can compete with other private ship manufacturers and ensure good quality vessels are produced.
“We are trying our best for the revival of Shalimar Shipyard with our limited financial capability amidst deprivation by the Centre. We have awarded various assignments to Shalimar which proved to be beneficial for the company,” Chakraborty said.
The state government has handed over manufacturing of RoRo vessels, bus repairing etc to Shalimar which has 100-odd staff, including engineers. The company has already witnessed a turnaround with a significant increase in turnover in the financial year 2023-24. The turnover that was Rs 2.41 crore and Rs 3.67 crore in 2021-22 and 2022-23 fiscal increased to Rs 23.54 crore. The profit from non-core business was
Rs 1 crore. The Transport department will be handing over a crane to Shalimar and the proposal in connection with the same was sent to the Finance department. “They want to have a dry dock so that they can lift vessels from the river and do repairs,” the official added. Shalimar Shipyard was taken over by the state government in 1980. However, the original Shipyard was established by Turner Morrison in 1885.
From British time the Shipyard was a major ship repair unit of the East coast well before Garden Reach. It has produced close to 600 vessels so far and also supplied to the Indian Navy which in 2012 gave Shalimar a contract of Rs 250 crore for manufacturing of 15 vessels, out of which it has delivered a dozen.