Ship-builders in the town of Mandvi, located on the Gujarat coast, are concerned about the potential impact of Cyclone Biparjoy. The storm is expected to make landfall between Mandvi and Karachi (Pakistan) on Thursday evening. The town has a long-standing tradition of ship-building, with large wooden ships that can carry 2,200 to 3,000 tons of goods being constructed in sea-side workshops. However, the under-construction ships cannot be moved to safety easily, causing concerns for the industry. Government officials have not addressed these concerns, according to one local businessman.
Abdullah Yousuf Madhvani, who oversees one such workshop, explained that it takes two years to build a ship at a cost of around Rs 50-70 lakh. At least 20 ships are currently in various stages of development on the shores of the town, and builders fear that the cyclone will destroy them. The large size of the ships makes it impossible to move them away from the shore. Carpenter Ali Baksh stated that they build wooden ships with a lifespan of up to 100 years, compared to 16-25 years for metal-body ships.
To protect under-construction ships, workers have placed sandbags under them and erected wooden support frames. However, some have still suffered damage due to the ferocity of the waves crashing on the shore in recent days. Aslam Malek, another ship builder, reported that the base prepared for building ships at his site was broken. Despite these concerns, government officials have not taken action to protect the industry.
