ENVC Shipyard

Estaleiros Navais de Viana do Castelo (ENVC) is a medium-sized shipyard in business since 1944, located in the town of Viana do Castelo, on the Atlantic Coast in the very north of Portugal. Occupying an area of 400,000 square metres and employing 625 people, it is a major Portuguese shipbuilder. In 2013 its assets and operations were sub-licensed to Martifer, which renamed them to West Sea Shipyard. Up to the present, the yard has delivered more than 220 vessels including barges, tugboats, ferry boats, fishing vessels, general cargo and bulk carriers, container ships, oil and chemical tankers, LPG's, cement carriers and warships. History The shipyards were funded on 3 June 1944 as a private limited liability company with a capital of 750,000$00 escudos as a part of a Portuguese government program to modernize the national fishing fleet. They were founded by a group of technicians and workers from the shipyards of the port of Lisbon and two of the first investors were Vasco D'Orey and João Alves Cerqueira, from the cod fishing industry. By 1946, the shipyards were accredited by Lloyd's Register and in 1948 the company delivered its first three ships. In May 1949, the ENVC were constituted as an anonymous society with a PTE 37,000,000$00 capital. In 1950 the company H. Parry & Son, Lda. became the main shareholder and in 1971 the CUF group took over as the major shareholder. In 1975, following the Carnation Revolution the previous year, the shipyards were nationalized and became a state-owned company with a capital of PTE 330,000,000$00. In 1987 its capital was changed to 3 million contos. In 1991 the company was made an anonymous society with the Portuguese government remaining the major shareholder. In 2004, the Portuguese ministry of defense ordered eight patrol ships of the Viana do Castelo class from the shipyard. These faced delays and only two ships would be completed by 2013. In 2012, the shipyard was officially placed under a privatization process. By 2013, due to ongoing financial difficulties, ENVC was declared in a difficult economic situation, leading to its eventual bankruptcy and liquidation. Following this, a concession was granted to the Martifer Group to manage the shipyards, with plans to revive shipbuilding operations. Under this concession valid until 2031, the group pays annually 415 thousand euros to the Portuguese state. On December 20, 2013, MEP Ana Gomes filed a criminal complaint with the Attorney General's Office over the ENVC sub-concession to Ria/Martifer Energy, requesting the European Commission to suspend it. In November 2014, the European Parliament rejected a request to lift the parliamentary immunity of MEP Ana Gomes. This decision prevented Gomes from facing trial in Portugal for defamation in a case brought by Defense Minister José Pedro Aguiar-Branco, following her statements on the government's decision to privatize the Viana do Castelo Shipyards. After the vote, Aguiar-Branco remarked that her accusations were personal and unrelated to her role as an MEP, suggesting that the European Parliament allows MEPs to speak without consequence. On December 17, 2017, it was announced that, at the time of its formal dissolution, the Viana do Castelo Shipyards would report net losses exceeding €700 million. The formal dissolution was scheduled for March 31, 2018. Ships built Between 1944 and 1974, 90% of ships were delivered to Portuguese shipowners and 50% were fishing vessels. During the late 1970s and 1980s, the Soviet Union became the shipyard's largest market, while during the 1990s, Germany became the largest contractor. Below are some of the ships that ENVC have built since 1948. See also Shipbuilding EMPORDEF Martifer Viana do Castelo-class patrol vessel List of shipbuilders and shipyards Arsenal do Alfeite Portuguese Navy References External links ENVC, official website ENVC Subconcessão, EMPORDEF campaign website regarding the sub-licensing