A tanker for the transport of oil and chemicals with a carrying capacity of close to 50,000 tons was handed over to the Spanish company Marflet Marine at Rijeka's 3. Maj shipyard on Monday.

The contract price for the 182-metre-long and 32.2-metre-wide tanker is US$ 34 million, and the dock lost $4 million from the project. The vessel was launched back in October 2016. In early 2017 it was towed to Pula’s Uljanik dock for final equipping, however, due to the crisis the Pula-based dock found itself in, no work was done on the vessel and the client terminated the contract.

The tanker was then brought back to 3. Maj in December 2019, in line with the Rijeka-based shipyard’s plan to resume production. A contract for the completion of works on the tanker was signed in March and took effect in May 2020, and in April the government provided a guarantee for the continuation of construction work on the vessel.

Last week the government approved a guarantee to 3. Maj to seek a loan for working capital to cover the increased costs of the projects it has launched in the amount of 90 million kuna (€12 million).

The shipyard’s CEO, Edi Kucan, said that work on the vessel had been difficult and included many unforeseen situations, including a handover delay. Kucan said that the shipyard planned to deliver another vessel for the transport of cars in June and that efforts were being made to launch a polar expedition cruise vessel, which is also being built in the shipyard, by the end of May.

“Work is underway on a yacht for an Italian client and on sections for the Italian Fincantieri company, and talks are underway on the completion of a ship for carrying bulk cargo,” Kucan said.

(€1 = 7.56 kuna)