Finnish shipbuilding expertise is
still in demand. The Turku shipyard
in southwestern Finland was
acquired by new German owners
who are not only experienced but
also have the wherewithal to do
things right.
Work at Turku shipyard will
be continued for a long time yet.
This is good news for the shipyard
personnel and subcontractors alike.
T
he well-known German shipbuilding
company Meyer Werft GmbH offered
to buy Turku shipyard from the South
Korean STX conglomerate in August
2014. The deal was confirmed after
being approved by the trade authorities
in Germany.
According to the purchase arrangement, Meyer Werft will own 70 percent
of Meyer Turku Oy, a new shipbuilding
company to be established. The remaining 30 percent will be owned by the state
of Finland.
In the opinion of Mr. Jan Vapaavuori,
Minister of Economic Affairs in Finland, the
state ownership of the shipyard is a temporary solution, with an expected duration of perhaps several years.
“
The new
owner will
bring a new level of
continuity.
RELIABLE SHIPBUILDERS
Along with the new ownership deal, it is
now certain that a minimum of two large
cruise ships will be built by Turku shipyard
for TUI Cruises in the course of the next
few years. The contract for these ships will
be worth close to one billion euros and will
equal approximately 10 000 man years of
work at the shipyard.
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