B.V. Holding Purchases 78 Percent Stake in Okean

Dutch B.V. Holding Maatschappij Damen has bought 78 percent of Ukraine's ship building plant Okean and will pay 26.3 million hryvnias ($4.8 million) for the stake, the State Property Fund said on Thursday.

The Dutch company, which has won a privatization tender, will also have to pay off Okean's tax arrears of 2.5 million hryvnias and cover salary arrears of 5.5 million hryvnias.

The plant, located in the city of Mykolayiv in southern Ukraine posted a pre-tax loss of 3.3 million hryvnias in the first half of this year. Last year the company had a pre-tax loss of 52.3 million hryvnias.