SCI to float newbuilding tenders for fleet expansion
State-owned Shipping Corporation of India (SCI) said it would float global tenders for acquiring 30 ships by 2012 which is likely to entail a Rs 8,000 crore ($1.7 billion) investment.
The company also plans to diversify and enter into areas like ship-building to become a fully-fledged maritime player. “We have on order over 30 vessels and we will order another about 30 by 2012, which would be for about Rs 8,000 crore,” SCI chairman and managing director S Hajara said.
SCI at present owns 76 ships of 5.1 million dwt besides manning 60 vessels of 0.2 million dwt. It plans to take its capacity to 12 million dwt in the next two years by acquiring these 30 vessels.
Hajara said the company would float global tenders for acquiring the vessels soon and there was a likelihood of these ships being built in South Korea and China. “Most likely places where these ships will be built will be South Korea, followed by China. He said the company had planned to acquire 62 ships during the 11th Five Year Plan (2007-12) period for about Rs 13,500 crore.
