The Helsinki shipyard denies the media’s information referring to the supplier dispute
The Helsinki shipyard responded to the media news by denying that one of its suppliers had demanded the shipyard’s bankruptcy. The shipyard rejected the reports as a minor claim for the disputed supplier.
On Tuesday, it was reported in the Finnish financial media that they are applying for papers to bankrupt the shipyard. According to news agencies, ship interior manufacturer Merima Oy pressed claims against the shipyard for unspecified debts. The shipyard replied that it had not received information from the district court about a possible bankruptcy application.
“Merima Oy has a small disputed claim from Helsinki Shipyard Oy, the amount of which is well below one percent of the contract price, that is, it is not a significant amount and we believe that it is negotiable,” the shipyard said. public statement in response to the reports. “Merima has already been paid the disputed claim on 7/9 to minimize the unreasonable damage to reputation and the damage caused by it.”
The shipyard says that it has complained to the company and that the dispute is related to the claim related to “Merima’s incorrect delivery”, which, according to the Helsinki shipyard, is still pending.
The sanctions imposed against Russia after the occupation of Ukraine earlier this year have put pressure on several companies that have speculated to have business relations with Russia at the Helsinki shipyard. Several of the shipyard’s current projects have direct or indirect connections to Russia.
Helsinki Shipyard is currently building the third of three cruise ships for Swan Hellenic. Earlier in the summer, they found themselves in a difficult situation when Swan Hellenic had arranged financing for the construction of cruise ships through a Russian financial institution. The Russians failed to make the final payment on another cruise ship, the SH Vega. Finally, in order to give clear ownership to the cruise ship, the Helsinki shipyard announced that it would auction the ship, and Swan Hellenic was declared the winner of the auction.
The Russian mining company Norilsk Nickel also ordered the shipyard to build an icebreaker in Northern Siberia. The contract requires a multi-fuel LNG vessel, which is scheduled to be delivered in time for the winter season of 2025. Preliminary work had started in late 2021 and construction was scheduled to begin in 2022. The new icebreaker, which would be the largest and most powerful diesel-electric icebreaker ever built in Finland, is a key part of the yard’s future work , which is expected to support employment. 2,100 employees at the yard and in the maritime industry network.
The Helsinki shipyard announced in March that the Russian sanctions had no effect on its business or cash flow. The company said that it had applied for an export permit from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to build an icebreaker for a Russian mining company. The research cruise ship being built for Swan Hellenic is scheduled to be delivered in early 2023.