DHAKA, April 13 (Xinhua) -- Abdullah Al Mahmud, the soon-to-be captain of a modern oceangoing vessel, noticed that Bangladesh was lagging behind other countries in building eye-catching boats.
He noted that the riverine country has a long tradition of building beautiful boats since ancient times and that craftsmen for thousands of years have been building stunning boats using natural materials.
"But the structural designs of boats in Bangladesh have remained virtually the same throughout the years, even though the boats are now powered," he told Xinhua.
He went on to explain that it was due to this that he decided to take it upon himself to build a modern-day, eye-catching catamaran and that to bring his dream to fruition he had to travel thousands of miles.
To design the twin-hulled craft, he visited France and for high-technology aspects and materials, he went to China.
"Catamarans are not commonly made in Bangladesh, although some have been imported from overseas," Mahmud said from a riverbank on the outskirts of Dhaka, where craftsmen have been busy building his dream boat.
He said an expert based in France named Michael O' Connor had designed the vessel to be eye-catching as well as environmentally-friendly and that the overall spec was to ensure safety and high quality at an affordable price.
"We chose not to use European or American materials or technology because they simply wouldn't be cost-effective," the captain said, adding that he opted for Chinese materials and tech as they are high quality and not overpriced.
"We're using 'Made-in-China' fiberglass and Chinese raw materials. So we are making a boat designed in France and built in Bangladesh with Chinese materials and technology," the skipper said of the project's multi-national components.
Comparing catamaran engines made in Germany with those made in China, the skipper said, "German engines are very expensive for us, but the quality of Chinese engines are extremely comparable and cost less." His France-based designer also agreed with that, he said.
"It makes perfect sense for us to use Chinese engines along with solar cells and batteries also made in China," the seafaring man said.
"The type of motor we imported from China can last up to 15 years," Mahmud said, while looking proudly at the progress being made on his soon-to-be launched catamaran.
