May 21 (SeeNews) - Representatives of China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation (CSIC) will visit on Tuesday Croatia's troubled shipyard 3 Maj, part of Uljanik Group, economy minister Darko Horvat has said.
After the visit to the shipyard, the Chinese representatives will hold a meeting with Horvat, he told reporters on Monday, according to a government press release.
"I think that we will have more information on what exactly they saw and what affinities exist at the moment," he added.
When asked whether the visit of CSIC representatives to 3 Maj means that they are not interested in the Uljanik shipyard, which also is part of Uljanik Group, Horvat said that recently the delegation spent a day and a half at Uljanik, whereas it only spent a few hours at 3 Maj.
The CSIC delegation Iarrived in Croatia in late April for talks about potential investment in Uljanik Group.
Horvat also said that during the last visit of the Chinese delegation, they talked about diversification of production at the shipyards.
Last week, a Croatian court has decided to launch bankruptcy proceedings against Uljanik Group, several days after the court opened such proceedings against its key member Uljanik shipyard. In April, the Rijeka commercial court rescheduled for June 5 the hearing at which it was to decide whether to open bankruptcy proceedings against the 3 Maj shipyard.
The Uljanik Group has been in financial trouble for some time due to the adverse effects of the global financial crisis on the shipbuilding sector in general which has led to a drop in orders for new vessels.