Norwegian yard plans Bulgarian venture

The Norwegian shipbuilder and ship repairer Bergen Yards is planning to move some of its production of special-purpose vessels to Bulyard Shipbuilding Industry (BSI), according to Bergen Yards? marketing director Magnus Stangeland. The partnership option was incorporated in a letter of intent signed by the two companies in late 2004.

Local media reports state that so far the Norwegian company intends to build only hulls in Varna, providing training on the job for workers who later will be skilled enough to build complete vessels. Bergen Yards intends to build 3 to 4 vessels annually in Varna over the next couple of years.