The announced merger of Kvaerner Masa-Yards and Aker Finyards — both members of the Aker Yards Groups — draws to a conclusion nearly a decade of change within the Finnish shipbuilding community, while providing the technically talented and market capable company with a clear vision for the future. Long an elite member of the world's select fraternity of "high value ship" builders, the Finnish maritime community has built and maintained a leadership in several technically demanding categories — cruise shipping, LNG carriers and ice ship technology, to name but a few — despite the country's relatively small size, environmental challenges and fierce competition from lower cost competitors in the Far East Aker Yards Group recently announced the merger of Kvaerner Masa-Yards Inc.