HANSA 02-2019

Schiffstechnik | Ship Technology
In the meantime,
the »Roald Amundsen«
was launched
Owner’s umbrella
helps Kleven Shipyard, but …
© Kleven
In challenging times, the Norwegian shipyard Kleven profits from the »protective shield«
of the new owner, the shipowner Hurtigruten. But new and further orders are necessary
and time is running short. By Michael Meyer
Apart from a current newbuilding
programme, the Norwegian shipping
company is also planning further
expedition cruise vessels and retrofits
from which Kleven could benefit.
New orders would be more than welcome
there. The shipyard might be used
as an example: A full capacity utilisation
is not an automatism if you are
100% subsidiary of a successful shipping
company.
Currently, the shipyard with 1,100 employees
in Ulsteinvik in western Norway
lists two ultra-modern hybrid expedition
ships for Hurtigruten and an anchor handling
tug for Maersk – the last of a series
of six – in its order book. For the time after,
however, there is still no business, as
shipyard boss Olav Nakken confirms to
HANSA.
The CEO hasn’t been with Kleven for
too long, previously he was active for
the shipyard in Wismar, which at the
time was an Aker company. »We need
new orders«, the experienced shipbuilder,
who reports a »good dialogue« with
potential customers, admits. »One passenger
ship newbuilding per year would
be good«. According to Nakken, Kleven
currently bids for various projects in
various markets.
The shipyard had focused on this segment
after the offshore market collapsed
a few years ago. The CEO calls this »the
turning point«. Although he considers a
backshift to be possible and feasible in
principle, the market will probably not
be able to do so in the short term.
After the Second World War, the yard,
which was only a few years old, was primarily
active in the repair market for
15 years, above all for the reconstruction
of the Norwegian fishing fleet. From
1960 onwards, there was also an increase
in newbuilding business. Since the turn
of the millennium, offshore ships, yachts,
cost-guard units as well as special ships
and ferries have been built.
In the doldrums of the shipbuilding
industry and in order to attract additional
business, Nakken also relied on steel
construction, an area that had actually
already been outsourced a couple of years
ago. Consequently, the shipyard has introduced
a modular construction and acquired
a welding robot that is supposed
to ensure high efficiency. Kleven has already
done steel work for the competitor
in the immediate vicinity, the large Ulstein
Group, among others. There have
also already been cooperations with the
German Lürssen Group or Polish shipyards.
Currently there is no joint project with
Lürssen. »But cooperation is a good option,
we are open,« says Nakken. The owner
Hurtigruten also rates this as »important«,
however, according to CEO Daniel
Skjeldam there is nothing concrete at the
moment.
A little relaxation could come if and
when Hurtigruten also releases the third
planned newbuilding. This is clearly Nakken’s
top priority. A letter of intent has
already been signed and the contract is
54 HANSA International Maritime Journal – 156. Jahrgang – 2019 – Nr. 2