Only four orders have been placed at Norwegian yards in 2009, and the order intake is still low, according to the yard association Norske Skipsverft. However, the total value of the industry’s order book is NOK 55 billion (EUR 6.3 billion).
"It’s due to the golden years in the offshore industry. Around 80 per cent of all orders placed at the Norwegian yards are vessels ordered to serve the oil- and gas industry. The main part of these vessels were ordered in times when the oil price increased dramatically and when the optimism was strong among oil companies as well as shipping companies", says Birger Skår, CEO in Norske Skipsverft, to na.24.
In 2008 the order intake was NOK 7.6 billion (EUR 860 million) comprising 21 vessels, compared to NOK 31 billion (EUR 3.51 billion) in 2007, comprising 71 vessels.