Italian offshore industry player Rosetti Marino will not be proceeding with the previously proposed acquisition of the Dutch Heerema Fabrication Group’s Zwijndrecht yard in the Netherlands.
The two companies in November signed a letter of intent for a potential sale of the HFG activities at the yard in Zwijndrecht to Rosetti Marino, however, the deal has failed to materialize, and Heerema will close the yard and lay off workers.
Heerema says that Rosetti Marino, after careful consideration of the risks and opportunities, has concluded that the Zwijndrecht yard acquisition did not meet its requirements due to adverse market conditions and the uncertainty for future prospects for the Zwijndrecht yard.
Rosetti Marino CEO Oscar Guerra said: “Rosetti Marino regrets that our interest in the proposed sale could not happen due to external factors beyond our control”.
Heerema further said that the management of HFG meanwhile has informed staff at the Zwijndrecht yard about the intended yard closure and will request advice from Works Council of HFG Nederland.
“HFG is committed to support the eighty employees who are being made redundant as a result of this closure. CEO Koos-Jan van Brouwershaven: “We will continue to provide every support we can offer in this very difficult period.”
As reported in November, Heerema Fabrication Group announced the planned sale of its activities at the locations in Zwijndrecht (The Netherlands) and Hartlepool (United Kingdom). The intended restructuring will see the closure of HFG’s head office in The Netherlands. It is anticipated that 60 jobs at the company’s headquarters will be phased out, Heerema said at the time.
The company has said it has been struggling for some time with insufficient project volume and marginal profitability. In addition, the risks associated with building topsides are high and clients are not prepared to pay for this risk, HFG explained.
The HFG yard in Vlissingen, supported by the yard in Poland, will remain focused on the construction of jackets for the offshore industry.
Offshore Energy Today Staff