44
South Korean shipyards had
entered the shipbuilding
industry by the end of the
1970s and soon acquired
international status. The
same process had taken
place in China towards the end of the 1990s,
with both countries specialising in large
tankers. Interviewed in 1999 by newspaper
Kauppalehti, Deltamarin’s Managing Director
Jukka Laiterä was of the opinion, however,
that “a more extensive change in production
will take at least ten more years. They South
Korean and Chinese shipyards don’t have the
necessary infrastructure or subcontractors.
Nevertheless, they have managed to get
cheaper vessels away from Europe by
engaging in dumping. Only time will tell
which changes are permanent.”
Asian shipbuilding became serious
competition to the European shipbuilding
industry in the early 2000s when the troubles
of previous decades came to a head.
“The European shipbuilding market
changed dramatically at that time,” recalls
François Cadiou, Chairman at Barry Rogliano
EXTRA VOLUME FROM CHINA AND B.DELTA
Finnmaster, 8,000
DWT ro-ro paper/
trailer carrier was built
at Jinling Shipyard in
China.
(PHOTO: SHIPPAX)