Full Leagues Ahead – BIMOX making waves in marine engineering

By Marjiya Baktyer Ahmed

Bangladesh’s International Maritime & Offshore Expo, organized by Savor International Limited and Fireworks Trade Media Group, focused on shipbuilding, repair and breaking, shipping, maritime and offshore engineering, and port and logistics. The event – first of its kind – gathered an international congregation of companies from the marine industry to lay the groundwork for possible investments and future business prospects in Bangladesh. It is designed to be Bangladesh’s most comprehensive international business platform encompassing all aspects of shipbuilding, ship repairs, shipping, maritime engineering, offshore engineering and technology, shipbreaking equipment, dredging equipment and ports and logistics handling equipment. World famous Marine Industry players, both from home and abroad such as Palmarine, Schaller Automation, Priboy Shipping Supplies Ltd From Bangladesh Khulna Shipyard, Bangla CAT, Jakson International Ltd, Celestial Tech and other companies participated in the expo to showcase their products. The event was held at GEC Convention Centre in the port city of Chittagong.

“BT Marine Propellers Limited is a UK based designer and manufacturer of propulsion systems. We focus on commercial and military vessels while specializing in warships and large commercial vessels up to 150 meters in length. We have been operating since 1998, and the company began trading in Bangladesh since 2008. We are interested in the marine market. It’s a growing market, and over the years it has had its ups and downs, but I’ve seen a general upward trend. It’s a good market with good potential. With the changing nature of the industry, some shipyards are looking to export orders focusing purely on domestic orders – which is a niche market we want to be a part of. We have been conducting business in Asia mostly electronically – sharing tactical drawings and documents via email. The challenge with coming here is managing the time to observe all the shipyards given they are spaced apart with basic transportation links. An event like this allows me to meet all my customers in one go, which greatly motivated me to attend. Also, this event has made me aware of shipyards that aren’t on the international platform yet but are looking to create partnerships. BIMOX is an opportunity to create lasting business partnerships in the Bangladesh marine industry.”

“Poseidon Propulsion BV is based in the Netherlands. Together with our good Chinese partner “Thrustleader Marine Power System”, we exhibit our propulsion products here in Bangladesh. We supply propellers, rudders, stern gear, along with Azimuth thrusters, bow thrusters, and deck-mounted thrusters. Our products are high-quality products because we provide main propulsion which means long endurance for all the gears and bearings. The marine industry here is promising, which makes Bangladesh good for doing business. There is not only a need for vessels in Bangladesh, but shipyards are also able to build high-level ships for companies outside of Bangladesh. The marine industry here is on the cusp of a new era and must remember that the shipbuilding industry is competitive at the moment. Building partnerships with good suppliers and producing a high-end product which is being demanded, while making sure it is cost efficient are all key factors. In Bangladesh, the mindset is separate from that in India and China, and I see that in the composition of the shipyards – people, workers, welders, and management want to share ideas. The main challenge with Bangladesh will be logistics since you do not want to compromise on the basic standard of a product. Fostering good partnership is important to overcome challenges and to work together.”

“Based in Singapore, Oceanic Marine PTE LTD designs and manufactures all types of steering systems. Our products are mainly sold to shipbuilders and ship owners. Our main objective in coming to Bangladesh is that the marine industry here is growing, and we’d like to work closely in this industry. There are shipyards here using my product, and the main purpose of attending BIMOX is to attract more ship owners and ship-builders. The service we provide will be a more fruitful investment for the Bangladesh marine industry since we offer a high-end quality service. The challenge with Bangladesh will be the pricing of products. I always stress to the owner of the shipyard, steering gear is the heart of the vessel and they can pay a little difference in price to get our good quality product. We will warranty our products for one year and we also provide engineers to travel from Singapore to Bangladesh to shipyards for onsite commissioning. After coming here and visiting some of the shipyards, seeing the skill level of the workers encouraged me to begin producing my products here.”

“We are the manufacturers of marine propulsion plan. We’ve done a lot of business for Singapore, Indonesia, Philippines and now we are trying to come to Bangladesh. This is our first exhibition in Bangladesh, and we found that the marine industry here is booming. Technical improvements can be made, hence we aspire to work with Bangladeshi brands and designers and improve the industry. The growth of the Bangladesh marine industry depends on the government, since they have to support the import of equipment not made here, and offer tax incentives. The exhibition gave us the opportunity to meet a lot of our clients who are interested in our high-end product. The government should also think about setting up schools to train graduates because skilled workers are crucial for construction. There is a lot of competition in the marine industry, which is why I hope the government can provide some encouragement, and give us the incentive to sell our plan here. There is still a lot to learn and still quite a way to go.”