India's largest shipbuilding yard, Cochin Shipyard Limited, has developed a prototype for a deep-sea fishing vessel and has set a goal of beginning production in the next five to six months.
The project began after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a ban on bottom-trawling in Palk Bay and asked fishermen there to consider a switch to deep-sea fishing as an alternative, according to the Hindu.
Initially, the shipyard will build 22 vessels, which fisherman ordered through a government program at a reduced price tag of INR 8 million (USD 125,009, EUR 105,025) per vessel. The vessels will be delivered in the second half of 2018, the newspaper reported.
The prototype vessel was developed in consultation with India’s Central Institute of Fisheries Technology and fishermen based in Rameshwaram, Tamil Nadu state.
This is the first time an Indian government-owned ship building firm has become involved in building a deep-sea fishing vessel, the newspaper reported. Based on its work, the fisheries department has also floated the possibility of expanding the program to an additional 20 ship-builders, including yards in Ahmadabad, Mumbai, Mangalore, Chennai, and Puducherry.
The government has also arranged for a corresponding training program with the Central Institute of Fisheries Nautical and Engineering Training (CIFNET) in Chennai, designed to train prospective deep-sea fishermen. The training program was developed in coordination with the National Institute of Fisheries Post-Harvest Technology and Training, and funded by National Fisheries Development Board.
