Commerce Minister Khandaker Abdul Muktadir has visited Chittagong Dry Dock Limited (CDDL) with an aim to enhance capabilities in the country’s maritime and defence industries.
On Thursday, he physically inspected the institution’s infrastructure, ship repair and construction activities, and overall operational management.
Upon his arrival at CDDL, the Minister was welcomed by the institution’s Managing Director, Commodore Mohammad Zainul Abedin.
Muktadir subsequently inspected various installations and activities of CDDL and was briefed on its current capacity and ongoing development initiatives.
During the visit, Commerce Minister stressed the importance of increasing CDDL’s capacity and technical efficiency, while emphasising the strengthening of its role in national industrialisation by leveraging the potential of the shipbuilding and repair sector.
CDDL stands as one of the country’s major ship repair and construction institutions.
According to data provided by the organisation, it has successfully repaired 1,036 local and foreign ships to date.
In addition to dry docking, CDDL provides afloat repair services and has constructed a significant number of pontoons, including container vessels, for various public and private entities.
CDDL commenced its commercial journey in 1985 with the objectives of developing the maritime sector, security, and industrialisation of the country.
However, owing to various reasons, the organisation later suffered financial losses and its operational capacity gradually declined.
To remedy the situation, the institution was handed over to the Bangladesh Navy on 23 December 2015.
Since then, CDDL’s operations have been conducted under the supervision of the Bangladesh Navy while maintaining international standards.
Alongside ship repair and construction, CDDL is actively working to enhance domestic capabilities within the defence industry.
In alignment with the government’s ‘Made in Bangladesh’ policy, the organisation has undertaken initiatives to build modern warships.
To achieve this goal, efforts are underway to upgrade the necessary infrastructure and technological capacity, alongside developing a skilled workforce.
Moreover, the selection of prospective partner organisations and preliminary technical and procedural activities have already progressed.
