"Mercantile Shipping Company PLC was the first ever privately owned shipping company in Sri Lanka to order brand new ships and it was the first time after more than 25 years that the country’s fleet received two new cargo ships," the shipping company said in a statement.
"In 2001, discussions started to obtain the needed equity for the ships and finally, after 6 years of consultations, presentation and negotiations, in Sri Lanka and in Europe, the construction of the ships started in July 2007 on the Dutch Bodewes Ship Yard.
Two years later the first ship, the ‘Mercs Uva’ was delivered and after another 4 months her sister ship, the ‘Mercs Uhana’ commenced her operation."
"Building and operating these ships is a great achievement for us and we are very proud of these beautiful ships. For more than a year the vessels have been operating to our satisfaction, without any problems, without a single break down. This is why the vessels were contracted in the Netherlands, as we were convinced about the high quality and standard in European ship building" General Manager of MSCL Stephan Kuehl said.
"As it was a break through for us to get brand new ships, we were depending on assistance from and a good cooperation with the Government and the concerned Ministries. Especially from the Merchant Shipping Division we received support at all stages and we are grateful for that. And it also helps developing the national fleet of Sri Lanka" Kuehl, who is also the Secretary General of the Lanka Association of Ship Owners, explained.
The model of MV "Mercs Uva" was presented to Shantha Weerakoon, Director General of Merchant Shipping as a token of gratitude and appreciation by A.N.U. Jayawardena, Chairman of Mercantile Shipping Company PLC.
The Director General of Merchant Shipping thanked for this gift and stressed that there is a long lasting relationship with Mercantile Shipping, which was and is based on trust and appreciation.
"They are always straight forward, which makes it easy for us to deal with Mercantile Shipping", Weerakoon said.
"Mercantile Shipping, since its inception, contributed a lot to the local shipping industry, having 14 ships in the registry during high times in the past. In addition to these 2 new ships, their main shareholder registered another 2 new buildings in Sri Lanka, with a third vessel to come shortly and another one expected end of this year", he said.
source - www.island.lk
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