With a significant investment from the National Government and the Korean International Cooperation Agency (Koica), the Sena Bolívar Nautical Center celebrated this Thursday, July 18, the inauguration of the first specialized welding laboratory for the Colombian naval industry. The equipment, valued at around 585,000 dollars, represents a crucial step forward in the Alianza Proa international cooperation programme.
The Alianza Proa project, which has resources from Koica and the execution of the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism, through Colombia Productiva, in addition to the support of the Presidential Agency for International Cooperation of Colombia (APC Colombia) and the National Learning Service (Sena), seeks to improve the country’s capabilities in the design, construction and maintenance of maritime and river vessels in Central, South America and the Caribbean.
Specialized training
The new laboratory will offer training at basic, intermediate and advanced levels for three groups: Basic operators without prior knowledge of naval welding, SENA technicians who wish to train and take tests in the area, and operators certified by a classification house.
“In the delivery of the welding laboratory, the Sena made an investment of more than 3,000 million pesos in adaptation of physical areas, smoke extractors, electrical repowering, and an equal amount was invested by the Government of Korea. This cooperation is a reason for gratitude for us because it gives us the opportunity to train many young people in this very interesting trade,” said Jorge Eduardo Londoño, general director of the Sena.
The Minister of Commerce, Industry and Tourism, Luis Carlos Reyes, highlighted the importance of the laboratory for the productive development of the shipbuilding industry.
“(…) It has great potential to mark the productive development of the territories and is key within the commitment to the defense and life of the industrialization policy. Between January and May 2024, the sector’s exports amounted to more than 2.3 million dollars, 60% more than the same period in 2023. CWith the launch of the laboratory, we will improve the country’s capabilities so that these figures continue to grow,” Reyes said.
Hernán Ceballos, general manager of Colombia Productiva, highlighted the impact of the sector in the generation of industrial chains. “Building a ship generates up to 5.7 billion pesos in chains with at least 60 industrial activities in sectors such as metalworking, textiles, electrical, petrochemical, plastics, wood and IT,” he explained.
Korean equipment and cooperation
The donated equipment includes specialized machines for welding, testing, plasma cutting, simulation, hydrostatic testing, gas detectors and pipe bevelers, essential for shipbuilding and maintenance.
Eleonora Betancur, general director of APC Colombia, highlighted the historic cooperation between South Korea and Colombia.South Korea has provided Colombia with more than 100 million dollars in non-reimbursable cooperation over the last decade. Today, the Alianza Proa program once again materializes this historic willingness to share its good practices with the world and support our country in overcoming its development gaps towards the consolidation of a productive economy, based on knowledge and innovation, through this binational Laboratory that we inaugurated,” he said.
