India an opportunity to earn foreign rev for Sri Lanka: Report

COLOMBO: The Sri Lankan shipping sector should consider India an opportunity to earn foreign income, rather than a threat, a top official of Colombo Dockyard was quoted as saying by a local newspaper.

"Sri Lanka should not consider India as a threat any longer but an opportunity to earn foreign income for the country", Colombo Dockyard PLC (CDPLC ) MD and CEO Mangala P B Yapa told state-owned Daily News as his company readies to hand over one of the largest ship it has built to India.

The 'Arabian Sea' will be the first and the largest sea passenger vessel constructed in Sri Lanka for the international market with a capacity of 250 passengers-cum-100 tonnes of cargo. It will be handed over to India early this year, the report said.

The vessel, first among the two ships undertaken for construction by CDPLC has a contract value of Sri Lankan Rupee (LKR) 2,023 million and will sail from various places in India to Lakshadveep.

It is the first passenger vessel and the most complex one made by the company. The preliminary design of the vessel was completed by Larsen and Toubro Ltd and CDPLC completed the integration and construction, the Daily News said.

The second ship under construction at the CDPLC dry dock will be completed in May and will be used to sail in the Union Territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands.