Ship-builders of Mandvi on Gujarat coast fear cyclone fury

Mandvi: The traditional ship-builders of Mandvi town on the Gujarat coast are worried that the approaching cyclone Biparjoy may hit their industry hard as under-construction ships on the shore can not be shifted to safety easily.

Government officials have been apathetic to their anxiety, one local businessman complained on Wednesday.

Cyclone Biparjoy is expected to make landfall between Mandvi and Karachi (Pakistan) on Thursday evening.

Mandvi has been known for its ship-building industry for the last more than 300 years.

Big wooden ships that can carry 2,200 to 3,000 tons of goods are built in sea-side workshops in this town in Kutch district.

"It takes two years to build a ship. The construction of one ship costs us around Rs 50 to 70 lakh," said Abdullah Yousuf Madhvani who oversees one such workshop.

"Our fear is that the cyclone will destroy the ships which are in various stages of construction," he said, pointing to a 3,000-ton ship which has been under construction for two years and is almost ready.

But as long as they are being built, these bulky ships can not be moved to safer places away from the shore.

At least 20 ships are in various stages of development on the shores of the town.

Ali Baksh, a carpenter, said they build 2,000 to 3,000-ton ships with a height of 24 to 30 feet.

"Our forefathers started this industry 300 years ago. We are continuing the tradition. The life-span of a metal-body ship is 16 to 25 years. But the life-span of a wooden ship is 100 years. If wood in a part of a ship degenerates, we refit that portion, which you can not do in the case of metal-body ships," Madhvani said.

Ships built in Mandvi go to Somalia, other countries on the African coast and Gulf nations to deliver and ferry back goods, he said.

"If the cyclone damages our ships, we will be ruined," he added.

To protect under-construction ships, workers have placed sandbags under them and also erected wooden support frames so that they would not keel over.

Aslam Malek, another ship builder, said the base prepared for building ships at his site was broken due to the ferocity of the waves crashing on the shore in the last few days.

"But the administration has not paid heed to our worry so far and done anything," he said.