From today's Lloyds List -
THE owner of one of the world’s most famous shipyards has admitted he is willing to sell the business.
Jaap Kroese claims he is so tired of fighting to save Swan Hunter he would sell the UK yard if he received the right offer.
The comments follow a turbulent year for the multi-millionaire Dutchman who rescued the company from the receivers 11 years ago.
In the last 12 months, Mr Kroese has seen the workforce at the Wallsend yard on Tyneside dwindle from 1,500 to 250.
He has also had to face criticism after it was revealed work on two ships for the Ministry of Defence was running massively over budget and a year behind schedule.
With no other orders in the pipeline, Mr Kroese faces having to lay off the remaining workforce.
Speaking from his home in the Netherlands, the 67-year-old said: “It is not formally up for sale but, put it this way, if someone comes along with the right offer, I would sell it. We are still looking for other contracts. I’m doing everything I can to find some work.
“But I’m getting too old to run around looking for work. I’m getting tired of it and there is nobody in the management team who wants to take it over.
“There has been a lot of talk of buying the yard from people in Europe. They know we are running out of work and they are looking at us with interest.
“I have had many inquiries but I would rather sell to someone who lived locally in the North East. I want to sell the yard to someone who is serious about making it work as a shipyard. I want to know the workforce will be secure.”
But he is keen to avoid the fate common to much of the UK’s post-industrial landscape: redevelopment as luxury property.
Mr Kroese has become a popular figure on Tyneside since he saved Swan Hunter in 1995.
Within a year of purchase it had won an order to convert the massive pipe-laying vessel Solitaire. Similar orders followed.
There were even greater celebrations in 2000 when it won the order to build the Largs Bay and Lyme Bay.
But earlier this year, the House of Commons Defence Committee revealed the company had been paid £309m ($574m) for the work — double the original price.
The Largs Bay has been completed and the Lyme Bay is close to being finished.
The yard had also been counting on a major share of a £4bn order for two aircraft carriers.
But now Mr Kroese fears he may get little if any of the work and, even if he does, it will not be for another three years.
Last month, the company was forced to sell its yard at Port Clarence on the Tees to Wilton Marine Services.
“Things are very tough at the moment,” said Mr Kroese. “Ten years ago, there were 17,000 people working in the yards on the Tyne. Now there are fewer than 700.
“But I still think it would be a good buy. We have invested £26m over the last three or four years.”
Bill Coates, senior organiser with the General, Municipal and Boilermakers Union, said it was imperative the yard continued to run as a shipbuilding and offshore facility: “If he can make assurances that it will fall into the right hands that has to be a good thing for the region.”
THE owner of one of the world’s most famous shipyards has admitted he is willing to sell the business.
Jaap Kroese claims he is so tired of fighting to save Swan Hunter he would sell the UK yard if he received the right offer.
The comments follow a turbulent year for the multi-millionaire Dutchman who rescued the company from the receivers 11 years ago.
In the last 12 months, Mr Kroese has seen the workforce at the Wallsend yard on Tyneside dwindle from 1,500 to 250.
He has also had to face criticism after it was revealed work on two ships for the Ministry of Defence was running massively over budget and a year behind schedule.
With no other orders in the pipeline, Mr Kroese faces having to lay off the remaining workforce.
Speaking from his home in the Netherlands, the 67-year-old said: “It is not formally up for sale but, put it this way, if someone comes along with the right offer, I would sell it. We are still looking for other contracts. I’m doing everything I can to find some work.
“But I’m getting too old to run around looking for work. I’m getting tired of it and there is nobody in the management team who wants to take it over.
“There has been a lot of talk of buying the yard from people in Europe. They know we are running out of work and they are looking at us with interest.
“I have had many inquiries but I would rather sell to someone who lived locally in the North East. I want to sell the yard to someone who is serious about making it work as a shipyard. I want to know the workforce will be secure.”
But he is keen to avoid the fate common to much of the UK’s post-industrial landscape: redevelopment as luxury property.
Mr Kroese has become a popular figure on Tyneside since he saved Swan Hunter in 1995.
Within a year of purchase it had won an order to convert the massive pipe-laying vessel Solitaire. Similar orders followed.
There were even greater celebrations in 2000 when it won the order to build the Largs Bay and Lyme Bay.
But earlier this year, the House of Commons Defence Committee revealed the company had been paid £309m ($574m) for the work — double the original price.
The Largs Bay has been completed and the Lyme Bay is close to being finished.
The yard had also been counting on a major share of a £4bn order for two aircraft carriers.
But now Mr Kroese fears he may get little if any of the work and, even if he does, it will not be for another three years.
Last month, the company was forced to sell its yard at Port Clarence on the Tees to Wilton Marine Services.
“Things are very tough at the moment,” said Mr Kroese. “Ten years ago, there were 17,000 people working in the yards on the Tyne. Now there are fewer than 700.
“But I still think it would be a good buy. We have invested £26m over the last three or four years.”
Bill Coates, senior organiser with the General, Municipal and Boilermakers Union, said it was imperative the yard continued to run as a shipbuilding and offshore facility: “If he can make assurances that it will fall into the right hands that has to be a good thing for the region.”