Out of the 26 ships on order at Norwegian shipyards this year, only four hulls will actually be built in Norway. Most will be built at yards in Eastern Europe where labour costs are low.
A spokesman for the yard owners confirms that this is the case, while at the same time Norwegian yards are working at only half capacity, and many of them have to lay off skilled workers. He says that the only way Norwegian yards can compete on the World market, is by letting low-cost yards do most of the "heavy work". The empty hulls are then towed to Norway for the fitting of the machinery and the electronic equipment required.
More information: The Norway Post
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