December 13 (SeeNews) - Two companies have expressed interest in entering the data room of Croatia's financially strained Uljanik shipbuilding group in preparation for a possible strategic partnership, economy minister Darko Horvat said on Thursday.
"Two serious potential strategic partners have expressed their wish to enter the data room and undertake a thorough analysis of the shipyard's facilities in Rijeka and Pula, and they have pledged to make a very serious offer within five weeks," Horvat said in a press release.
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In October, Ukraine's Smart Maritime Group (SMG), a unit of Smart Holding, said it is interested in cooperating with Uljanik. A SMG delegation visited Croatia in October to study the experience of its shipyards and to discuss possible cooperation.
Italian shipbuilding group Fincantieri is also seen as a potential strategic partner of Uljanik. In November, Horvat said the government received a letter of interest of Fincantieri in Uljanik.
The Uljanik Group is made up of two major shipyards -- Uljanik and 3. Maj, along with smaller subsidiaries. The 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.