At the end of 2018, Heerema Fabrication Group was forced to close its yard in Zwijndrecht, the Netherlands, due to a lack of orders. Together with the municipality of Zwijndrecht, a buyer for the yard has been found in yacht builder Oceanco.
For Oceanco, this will be the company's second yard in addition to the one in Alblasserdam, which is basically a stone's throw from Zwijndrecht.
Increased Employment
According to Alderman Tycho Jansen (Economic Affairs), 'the departure of Heerema and the loss of employment was a sensitive blow for the whole of Zwijndrecht.' In addition, the planned takeover of the yard by Italian Rosetti Marino S, also active in offshore construction just as Heerema, fell through and meant another disappointment for the Dutch town.
This means the arrival of Oceanco is both important as a good water-bound destination for the yard as well as for local employment. Jansen: 'With the arrival of Oceanco, employment will grow to more than before the closure of the shipyard. This development and the expansion of this company, so close to the parent company in Alblasserdam, is good news for the entire Drechtsteden region. In addition, it is good news for Zwijndrecht that the iconic building halls will be preserved.'
Municipality Involved in Sale
Alderman Jansen said he was pleased Heerema involved the municipality in the sale of the shipyard at an early stage, which gave the municipality the opportunity to think along as a partner about the transfer to the new owner. He also complimented the companies on the constructive way in which they have worked together to make the sale possible.
Over the past few months, the municipality of Zwijndrecht has been actively involved in looking for ways to make the transfer as smooth as possible and to keep the period of change in activities as short as possible. Alderman Jansen: 'To achieve this, we used our contacts with, among others, the Environmental Department and the South Holland South Safety Region ("Omgevingsdienst" and "Veiligheidsregio Zuid-Holland Zuid") to guide the companies and to remove obstacles in the takeover process.'
Picture by Heerema Fabrication Group.
