A Chinese ship-building company has opened a US$2 million ($400 million) operation at Coverden, East Bank Demerara and has already constructed a US$2 million vessel which is open for viewing by the public.
The company, Zhong Hao Shipyard Inc, is an entirely new venture. Work on the ship started in August. According to Su Zhironj, the business’s Chinese proprietor, the vessel is 95% complete, and requires an additional coating of paint on its exterior before it is launched into the Demerara River before January 10, 2014.
Zhironj explained that when the time comes the company will use special airbags to roll the vessel into the river.
The vessel is a self-propelled trawler which has been welded together using inch and a half thick steel plates imported from China, and crafted at the shipping yard using tools which were also imported. It measures eighteen metres in width, sixty-three metres in length, four and a half metres in height, weighs about 2,000 tonnes and carries two capsules which open into lifeboats.
The design of the vessel came to Guyana from China partially prepared and was completed here.
Once launched, the trawler will be powered by two 600-horsepower engines, and is fitted with two 150-horsepower generators which will double as engines if the need arises. The vessel will be capable of moving as fast as nine knots an hour when loaded and will have a lifespan of 25 years.
Despite its size, the vessel can be comfortably piloted by a six-man crew. This is a result of the advanced technology that will be used in its operation.
Though the vessel is currently being used as a prototype, Stacy Sue, Zhironj’s wife, said that it will eventually be used to transport logs from the company’s logging operation in Kwakwani. Zhironj said yesterday that he has been in the logging sector for about six years now and has had rights to a forestry concession for about two years. The logging sector has been of great interest to Chinese and Indian investors in recent years.
The display trawler will be the only vessel built by the company for its own use, according to Sue. She shared that all future vessels will be made to sell to customers once orders are placed. She also said that the company is capable of making custom-made boats tailored to the specific need a buyer may have.
Zhinronj said that the company is currently in talks with BK International and Toolsie Persaud Limited, as these two business entities have expressed interest in having ships built for their use. Sue said that Zhong Hao Shipyard Inc has also been talking with fishing companies as they have expressed interest in having trawlers built.
Sue also said that the company will be building vessels small enough to be fitted with Yamaha outboard engines. These smaller boats, she said, come fully equipped with everything needed for it to operate, including the engine, and will be sold for about $2 million.
Works Minister Robeson Benn, who visited the shipyard yesterday along with Prime Minister Samuel Hinds, said that the company’s presence in Guyana will benefit the country in multiple
ways.
Benn, who visited the location some months before during the construction phase, said that the company will be offering high-quality goods at a relatively low cost thanks to the advanced technology employed by the company, and that since the manufacturing of the vessels will be done in Guyana the delivery time is likely to be much better than what has been experienced in the past.
Employment for some Guyanese has also been created. Sue said that the workforce at the shipyard is 60, comprising 30 Chinese nationals, and 30 Guyanese. The stipulation in Chinese investments for the hiring of Chinese workers has also raised disquiet here. Yesterday’s visit to the shipyard revealed that Guyanese workers were employed in various aspects of the operation, including the construction of the wharf being built in the Demerara River at Coverden.
Zhinronj has been living in Guyana for the last 16 years and he said he started up the company because he wanted to give back to the country through the investment since he thinks of it as his second home. Though the shipyard only produced its first ship in 2013, Sue said that the idea for the company had been conceptualized since 2009.
