On January 13, the director of the Industrial
Business Development Unit, Uthai Piyawanitpong and his team made an
official visit to Seat Boat Co. Ltd. shipyard located on South Pattaya
Road.
The visit followed an invitation by Banjong Khunujit,
president of the Thai Shipyard Association to observe and learn about the
difficulties and problems affecting the shipyard industry.
Uthai said that the Ministry of Industry saw the
importance of the shipyard industry and wanted to support and assist the
many areas of the industry, including human resources, communication and the
importing of equipment and parts.
He said many parts needed in the industry have to be
imported and that sometimes their costs have become uncontrollable.
He said, “The ministry wants to alleviate some of the
burden of the shipyard industry, because we must build confidence in our
foreign customers that Thai companies are capable of building boats of every
size, be they yachts or cruise liners. Thai companies possess the knowhow
and skilled labor, combined with high quality parts and designs.”
Uthai went on to say, “There are currently 23 members in
the Thai Shipyard Association who are all striving to better their
standards. The government will give them all the support they need, so that
they will be able to compete in the world market.
