IHC Caland Mulls Exit From Shipbuilding

Shipbuilding and engineering group IHC Caland NV might stop building ships if the Dutch state goes ahead with plans to abolish subsidies for shipyards after 2000. If the Dutch shipbuilding subsidies were scrapped, cutthroat competition from South Korean companies in particular would cause the Dutch sector to vanish. Currently, IHC Caland generates about 30 percent of annual turnover by shipbuilding. The bulk of the firm's sales are generated in the offshore energy markets, notably by building and operating floating production and storage systems. In a separate press release, IHC Caland stressed this did not imply a change in previously given forecasts.