Havyard downsizes at Leirvik yard

The chief executive of Havyard Group, Gunnar Larsen, saud that this was a difficult decision because they know how important the yard is both to the individual employees and the region but said that the strategy was necessary to keep a many jobs as possible.

He said that the yard industry recognises that the market for newbuilds and obtaining funding for building projects will be challenging in the future but that the service segment is healthy and profitable. “New Havyard Ship Technology must therefore restructure its operations to repairs, service and maintenance,” he said.

“The yard’s facilities, expertise and location mean that we are in a good position to be a reliable provider to customers in this market as well,” he added.

Critical situation

The Norwegian yard industry is facing serious problems and Gunnar Larsen called for more measures to facilitate shipbuilding in Norway. He also pointed out that the major financial and practical consequences of the coronavirus pandemic are an extra challenge for the yards, and that the industry needs the authorities’ support to get through the crisis.

Converting the yard into a repair, maintenance and modification yard means that the yard will undergo a downsizing process reducing the number of employees by around 100. This will take place in the coming year.

The shift in focus will be in tandem with the completion of six newbuilds that are scheduled to deliver in 2020 and 2021.