ZAGREB, March 3, 2018 – A group of Croatian, Dutch and Belgian investors plan to build a modern shipyard in the eastern Croatian town of Dalj where large river boats, specialised vessels and luxurious yachts will be built, and they plan to open 140 jobs in the initial phase of the project, a press conference was told in Osijek on Friday.
The investors initially wanted to build the shipyard in Osijek, but later decided that Dalj on the Danube River was a better geo-strategic location with better transport connectivity, Osijek Deputy Mayor Boris Piližota said.
He underscored that, in the long run, the plan was to produce completely equipped vessels that would be competitive and at a later phase to provide vessel servicing and maintenance.
Speaking on behalf of the foreign investors, Birol Ernalbant said that the work on the shipyard was expected to start in six months and should be completed in about two years. He added that they expected to initially employ 140 people and invest between two and ten million euros.
Ernalbant said that they wanted to differ from other shipyards, which build standardised commercial boats, and build specialised yachts to promote tourism in this area as well as modern tug boats powered by LNG.
Ernalbant noted that they would not build 100 boats a year but would rather focus on building four to five high quality vessels a year. He said he believed this would mark the beginning of new development in this area.
