74.6-m euro order for Aker shipyards

Norwegian group Aker Yards, which owns the shipyards in Braila and Tulcea, has closed a new contract to build two vessels worth some 74.6 million euros (600 million Norwegian kroner) in Romania. When contacted on Monday, representatives of Aker Braila said they did not know in which of the two locations the two ships would be built. The ships that Aker will build in Romania will serve as platform supply vessels, with the contract being awarded to the Norwegian company Island Offshore, which is controlled by the British petroleum company Island Oil&Gas PLC. The two vessels are set to be delivered in November 2008 and March 2009, with the equipment to be supplied by Brevik, another subsidiary of the Aker group. This is the eighth contract signed by Aker Yards Group for its shipyards in Romania this year.