The Galician naval sector signs its best beginning of the year since 2008 with 32 upcoming vessels
The workload is twice the one existing during the tax lease crisis. At least four more vessels, pending its entry into force. Armón and Nodosa the most “active”.
The private Galician shipbuilding industry has been the one in Spain signing new orders during the first quarter of the year, as testified by the Official Journal of the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Tourism. Four of them were assigned to Armón Vigo (three trawlers for Argentina and a longline vessel for A Coruña); the fifth, for Construcciones Navales Paulino Freire (Freire Shipyard).
The latter, a 42 metres long patrol vessel for Kuwait – The first built since 2004- will be delivered by the end of next year. But to this review we may add seven fishing vessels assigned to Armón by Nueva Pescanova and two trawlers that will be built by Nodosa for Osprey, since in both cases the date of entry into force was later than 31 March. Overall, and with 32 upcoming vessels, the Galician naval sector has thus achieved the best beginning of the year of the last decade, in number of orders as well as volume of activity.
And it has achieved it with less actives players on the sector; MCíes and Factoría Naval de Marín have disappeared, and Factorías Vulcano hasn’t signed a new assignment since 2007, although – according to the management – they bid for a fishing vessel for Russia or for the 68 metres trawler designed by the technical office of F.Carceller for Iberconsa. Apart from the constructions already assured, there are at least four more vessels pre-assigned in the Estuary of Vigo. Three of them will stay on the slipways of H.J. Barreras, with a ferry for Naviera Armas – will come into force this Wednesday – and another two for Havila Shipping. These will be the first ones ever built in Vigo with Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) as propulsion system. The shipyard chaired by José García Costas is keen to tie a second unit for The Ritz Carlton in the short term; the first one will be launched next October. This vessel itself represents a volume of 43.217 CGT, equivalent to 70% of the whole activity of the shipyards from Asturias.
Even counting only with the order book until March (irrespective of the ones from Nueva Pescanova or Osprey), the Galician naval sector finished the first quarter with 147.116 CGT in weighted activity, a measure which calculates the launches, keel laying and delivery of vessels, and who are the landmarks that reflect the volume of activity of this industry.
The naval industry of Vigo and Marín (the Ministry assigns the orders of Armón Burela to the parent firm, from Asturias) represents in this period 37% of the national total, above the Basque Country (25%) and Asturias (15%). The three oil tankers hired by Navantia with Ondimar Transportes Marítimos lda (shipping line from Grupo Ilaizábal) have made the Andalusian naval sector reappear in the map after years of ostracism and with a CGT volume of 23%.
(Source: Faro de Vigo)