Keepin touch

Whether you have a question, comment, suggestion or any problem in the purview of the government, send us your message and we will try to respond as soon as possible. If your problem is not in our purview, we will forward your message to the relevant institution.

The Government of the Republic of Serbia

In the service of citizens

Introduction of Dutch technology into Serbian shipbuilding industry

Belgrade, 17 October 2005

Serbian Deputy Minister of International Economic Relations Vlatko Sekulovic and the Netherlands’ Minister for Development Cooperation Agnes van Ardenne-van der Hoeven formally put into operation at the Belgrade shipyard today a facility for manufacturing ship parts based on Dutch technology.

Agnes van Ardenne-van der Hoeven, left, and Vlatko Sekulovic put into operation a facility for manufacturing ship parts

Author: Tanjug

The facility was put into use as part of the SERINNED (Serbian shipbuilding industry improved by Dutch innovative technology) project, which is being implemented through a PSO programme initiated by the Dutch government. This PSO programme implies the introduction of innovative Dutch technologies into the Serbian shipbuilding industry. In general, PSO represents programmes the Netherlands sponsors for financing projects in the countries of southeast Europe, aimed at establishing and boosting cooperation between Dutch and beneficiary countries’ companies.

The project was initiated by the Dutch company Metalix B.V., and is carried out in cooperation with the Dutch company Vahali Shipyard B.V. and the CMS company from Belgrade.

Van Ardenne-van der Hoeven said that the Dutch government has invested €550,000 in the SERINNED project and added that this investment is the result of her government’s campaign to encourage Dutch companies to invest in this region.

She pointed out that about 18 PSO programmes, financed with €10 million, have been launched in Serbia, adding that Dutch companies find Serbia’s agricultural, machine, textile and shoe industries as most alluring for investment.

Sekulovic said that the newly-opened facility will at first only produce parts for ships, but by year’s end, the first ships will be built through cooperation of Serbian and Dutch companies.

He stressed that during the project’s first stage, 20 new jobs will be opened, and when the construction of ships starts within the next six months, this figure is expected to rise to 120. For Serbia’s devastated shipbuilding industry the project represents a genuine path to recovery, he added.

Representatives of Dutch companies said there is future for Serbia’s shipbuilding because its workforce is relatively cheap but well-trained, and because there is ample space for building ships, so that with a bit of help this industry can make fast progress.