Page 53: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (October 1997)

Tankers, which expects to commis- sion a third of class in November.

In addition, a 16,000-dwt new- building is in hand for Maritima

Mariola on the back of a Marpetrol charter, with a second such ship also in the frame.

The shipbuilder's position as an export earner has also been recent- ly demonstrated by the completion of the first of two 506-TEU con- tainerships for Casablanca-based

Comanav.

Northern shipbuilder Naval

Gijon has also helped the Spanish industry benefit from the upsurge in demand for chemtanker capaci- ty.

It recently extended its order- book to the year 2000 with tonnage to a Norwegian account. The busi- ness inflow included new commit- ments by Knutsen OAS Shipping of Haugesund, an existing client both of the Gijon yard and of ship- builders in the state domain.

The current production program includes a series of 19,000-dwt newbuildings, one for Liverpool- based Bibby Line besides two for

Knutsen, plus a pair of 35,000-dwt tankers also booked by the

Norwegian operator. North

European interests are also under- stood to have awarded a 22,000- dwt chemtanker to the privately- owned Gijon company.

Production Shift

Builders in Spain have a particu- lar and longstanding expertise in the design and construction of the gamut of fishing vessels, having had a strong domestic platform in the form of Spain's own, diversified fisheries industry.

Production of catcher vessels and combined fishing and processing ships continues to form an impor- tant element of the business for mainly family-owned shipbuilders.

But the private sector has adapt- ed well to the considerable changes in the structure and nature of demand from the international fishing industry, increasingly sub- ject to quotas, and compelled to examine new areas and types of resources as stocks on established grounds become depleted.

From an early stage, yards reori- ented their products in accordance with market demand, as reflected in the current export weighting to types such as specialized tankers,

RoRos and tugs.

The outward looking approach of

Construnaves, the umbrella inter- national marketing organization which represents around 90 per- cent of the private sector, has again been underscored this year by various contractual successes in the North European shipowning community. It has also been reflected in new initiatives, such as efforts to develop small-ship business on the Indian market.

Astilleros de Huelva forged an early link with the re-emergent

Baltic states.

It complemented its fishing ves- sel activities with the construction of six combined cargo/container carriers of 5,600-dwt for

Lithuanian Multipurpose

Shipping, now being phased into service, and a quartet of 5,700-dwt

RoRos for Estonia.

Among the largest-ever new- buildings taken on by Huelva, the 125-m ferry Julian Besteiro pro- vides a domestic component to the 1997 delivery program at the

Andalucian yard.

The adaptability of the sector is further illustrated by the emer-

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