Shipyard Launches First Mexican Purse Seiner While Facing Claims ff
24 July 2013
Spain
While the hull of the new tuna purse seiner for Mexican tuna fishing company Grupomar enters the water, extensive work on equipping the vessel is about to start by Spanish shipyard Armon.
Recent reports that Brussels has ordered repayment of billions of dollars from Spanish shipyards to the Spanish government could also see Armon’s Gijon wharf suffer the consequences. With lack of clarity about how the Spanish shipyards will have to fulfill the settlement of the debt from illegal Spanish state subsidies, an atmosphere of uncertainty surrounds the construction of many vessels.
After leaving the dry dock, work on the hull of Grupomar’s seiner will be further continue on the water, where it will be equipped according to the necessary requirements until its expected completion in December. But it is not entirely imaginary that problems related to the repayment decision made by the European Union could see these plans delayed or worse, halted.
This is the first vessel to leave the factory Gijon since it resumed activity in April 2012, beginning with the construction of this Grupomar tuna purse seiner that has been financed for USD 20 million by Banco Sabadell.
The tuna purse seine vessel, ‘Christina Masaveu’ is 78 meters long and can reach a speed of 18 knots, and is also said to be designed to be economical and fuel efficient.
