Bangladesh’s First STEALTH Warship Builder: Khulna Shipyard Limited

Khulna Shipyard (KSY) Limited was established in 1957 and currently being operated by the Bangladesh Navy. KSY Ltd has built the Durgam-class ASW large patrol craft for BN. After establishment, KSY built and repaired many cargo & container vessels. It also manufacture various steel structures for industry and infrastructure building. 

This shipyard was handed over to the Bangladesh Navy in 1999 with a large sum of debt. After 2008 KSY paid all its debt and started making profit. Now it is the largest tax payer in the Khulna divisional region. Products of the KSY Ltd are various cargo vessels, container vessels, firefighting boats, tugboats, submarine tugs, harbor patrolling boats, Padma-class patrol boats, Durgam-class ASW LPCs, floating cranes, tankers, supply ships and some more. 

In the coming years, Khulna Shipyard, slated to build stealth corvette for Navy. For this purposes modern facilities are being installed on the yard area. Bangladesh needs to enhance its shipbuilding capabilities to ensure mass employment and growth of the economy. Bangladesh Navy, in the case, paving a great way for other private entrepreneurs to invest in the sector. 

Khulna Shipyard Ltd negotiating with china for its Type 056 Jiangdao corvette’s license building in Bangladesh. Bangladesh Navy has a plan to acquire such 14-16 corvettes within 2030 time frame under “Forces Goal-2030” modernization program. Already BN has operating two Type 056 in its active service. On the other side of the border, burmese navy (aka myanmar navy) tryning to destabilize the territorial waters of Bangladesh and burmese army provoking unrest near the border. Dhaka wants to give burma a befitting response and make myanmar nation to remember it with ultimate fear that what Bangladesh can do against her enemies. Hence, Bangladesh Navy needs massive firepower in the sea. Guided missile frigates, stealth corvettes, large patrol crafts and maritime aircrafts along with advanced attack submarines will comprise the force. 

Building most of the naval ships in home, KSY can make Bangladesh independent of buying warships from foreign shipyards, which costs much more money and time. On the other hand, domestic industrial base will make our navy strong as well as the economy. Worldwide shipbuilding industry has a value worth $400b yearly. If Bangladesh can grab 1% of them, it would bring huge amount of money which will give our economy a strong position.