Offshore staff
ZWIJNDRECHT, the Netherlands – Heerema Fabrication Group (HFG) plans to sell two of its main offshore fabrication yards in western Europe, due to insufficient project volume and marginal profitability.
In addition, risks associated with building topsides are high and clients are not prepared to pay for this risk, the company said.
HFG intends to dispose of its activities in Zwijndrecht, the Netherlands and Hartlepool, northeast England. It will also close its head office in the Netherlands, with the loss of 60 jobs.
The company has signed a letter of intent to sell its engineering/construction activities at the yard in Zwijndrecht with Italian fabricator Rosetti Marino. It does not expect the transfer to affect the workforce at the yard.
It will also seek a buyer for its activities at the site in Hartlepool but will retain activities at the HFG yard in Vlissingen in the southern Netherlands, where the focus will remain on jackets, and the supporting yard at Opole in Poland.
At the same time Vlissingen will continue as the shore base for sister companyHeerema Marine Contractors.
The intended divestment follows a restructuring of the company in November 2016 against a background of the lower oil price, under-investment in the oil and gas industry and unfavorable contractual conditions in the wind energy market.
At the time, the board had hoped that the market would improve from 2019 onwards.
11/20/2018
