Tartous, SANA- Shipbuilding and boats industry on Syria’s lone island, Arwad, is blooming as new facilitation measures came into force after the fall of former regime, workers in this profession said.
The island’s residents inherited this profession from their ancestors and worked to develop it through practice and experimentation. They introduced modern technologies to it, after it had been a purely manual industry.
Khaled Bahlawan, a resident of the island who has been working in this profession for 25 years, told SANA “I inherited the profession from my father and will pass it on to my sons”.
He said that he was satisfied now by new work atmosphere after the removal of unfair measures against its workers by the Ports Directorate, including the difficulty of securing the wood needed for the industry and the prohibition of dealing with foreign currencies.
Mohammed Bahlawan, a specialist in shipbuilding, explained that the shipbuilding profession has witnessed significant development with the introduction of machines. This industry “provides job opportunities for a large number of professionals, including carpenters, painters, blacksmiths, and tailors” Bahlawan said.
“Building a single ship takes two to six months, depending on its size” he explained.
The wooden shipbuilding industry in Arwad dates back to the Phoenician era and is more than 2,500 years old. Yet it has been exposed to numerous dangers that have threatened its continuity, to the point that many island residents have stopped working in it.
Low financial income and the inability of its workers to export their production was hindering this industry.
Abdul
