New Mangalore port gets pull tug

Visakhapatnam: A 32-tonne bollard pull tug, m.t Iswari, constructed at the Hindusthan Shipyard Ltd here for the New Mangalore Port Trust, was launched by Ms Juliet Tewari, the wife of Rear-Admiral Ajit Tewari, the Chairman and Managing Director.

On the occasion, Rear-Admiral Tewari said the HSL had made impressive strides during the past three to four years and, “it is matter of great pleasure for me that during my tenure vessels had been launched from all the three slipways at the shipyard after more than a decade.”

He said HSL had orders worth Rs 2,000 crore on hand and all attempts were being made to deliver vessels on schedule. Last year (2007-08), HSL achieved a turnover of Rs 400 crore and during the current financial year it was aiming to cross the Rs 500-crore mark, he said. He congratulated all the departments and the unions for their co-operation in building the vessel.

Rear-Admiral Tewari later told reporters that the proposal to hand over HSL to the Union Ministry of Defence was still under consideration of the Union Government and a final decision was awaited.

The tug, costing roughly Rs 25 crore, was built at HSL by Lodka Engineering Private Ltd on a turnkey basis. The tug has an overall length of 33.50 m, width of 10 m and depth of 4.20 m, with a draft of 5.30 m and speed of 11 knots. It is manned by two officers and 10 crew members.

The tug was vessel no. 110 launched from the slipways of HSL.