Croatian prime minister on shipbuilding in Pula.
Croatian Prime Minister Zoran Milanović visited the Uljanik shipyard and toured the ship designed for the carriage of passengers, trucks and other vehicles in the area of the Caspian Sea “Bagtyy Ar”, which the shipyard is building for a client in Turkmenistan, reports Novi List on August 29, 2015.
It is a ship for the company State Service of Maritime and River Transportation of Turkmenistan, and the contract for construction was signed in August 2012. The ship was launched in April last year, and will soon be delivered to the new owner.
Prime Minister Milanović, who visited the shipyard with deputy prime minister and minister of regional development and EU funds Branko Grčić and finance minister Boris Lalovac, expressed satisfaction that the Uljanik shipyard “will probably finish its restructuring process a few years earlier than expected, which is the result of its good and successful work and the result of government policies as well”.
“Croatia has not only saved, but has also strengthen its shipbuilding industry, primarily in Istria and Rijeka, while we are still trying do to that in Dalmatia. When we compare it with other countries which have joined the European Union, they have practically nothing in shipbuilding and everything has been devastated”, said the prime minister. Milanović added that the strengthened shipbuilding industry is of great importance for Croatia.
General Manager of the Uljanik shipyard Gianni Rossanda confirmed to reporters that the Pula-based shipyard has 22 ships in the order books, and that the situation regarding the contracting of ships is exceptionally good. “Two years ago, we have launched the whole process. We could not even have dreamt that the situation would be as good as it is. We have 22 contracted ships, including a large number of high quality ships,” said Rossanda, adding that it guarantees good business for the company in the future.
The total value of contracted vessels exceeds a billion euros, and the construction of these ships will keep Uljanik busy until at least 2018.
