ZAGREB, March 12, 2018 – The Viktor Lenac shipyard conducts regular annual repairs of the USNS Trenton and another US navy vessel is expected to sail in, it was said on Monday during a visit by US Ambassador to Croatia Robert Kohorst to the Trenton’s crew, currently docked in Kostrena near Rijeka.
Kohorst said that this was his first visit to the shipyard, that he had heard a lot of good things about it and that he was pleased cooperation was continuing.
The shipyard’s director Aljoša Pavelin said that the Trenton would remain docked for about 45 days and added that another US navy ship – Carson City – was expected to arrive at the end of March.
The US Trenton is the third American ship to be repaired at Viktor Lenac since 2011, and the eighth project the shipyard has conducted for the US Navy, which has contributed to building the shipyard’s reputation, Pavelin said.
Commenting on the dock’s business last year, Pavelin said that the biggest project it handled was the overhaul and upgrade of USS Mount Whitney. Last year, the shipyard generated a profit of almost 37 million kuna, he added. Pavelin said that, in addition to ship repairs, which would continue in 2018, the shipyard had submitted bids for three to four larger projects.
Asked about the shipyard’s relationship with the Uljanik dock, which is facing problems and is at the same time the largest single shareholder in Viktor Lenac, Pavelin said that the shipyard was not exposed to Uljanik and that he was convinced that Uljanik would take care of Viktor Lenac’s interests. Asked about the possible sale of the Viktor Lenac shipyard, Pavelin said that the dock was listed on the Zagreb Stock Exchange and that its shares were traded every day and that interest existed in its shares.
Pavelin also commented on the lack of the labour force, describing it as a structural problem of Croatian society. He added that the solution lies in increasing productivity and consequently wages, optimising the number of people and retaining quality.
In 2017, Viktor Lenac generated a total revenue of 514 million kuna, an increase of 70% compared to 2016. Net profits amounted to 36.8 million kuna, compared to 1.5 million kuna in 2016.
