The Greek company announced that it is withdrawing from Uruguay after failing to obtain a new floating dock for its shipyard operations.
The Greek naval company Tsakos, which has its shipyard in Port of Montevideoannounced that he will leave Uruguay. The company assured that the decision does not respond to economic reasons but rather operational ones, and that it will comply with its obligations to the 200 employees who work at the firm.
In December 2022, Tsakos made the news for a serious incident in the floating dock of the Greek company: two cranes collapsed and caused damage not only to the infrastructure but also to three ships that were undergoing repairs. At that time, the strong economic impact It was already anticipated, and it was known that the revival and start-up of operations would take a long time.
Now, more than a year later, the company announced that it will finally leave the country, as it communicated to its collaborators, the union and the authorities of the National Ports Administration (ANP).
Problems resuming activities
According to the official story, the decision is not sudden: since the incident, and given the need and commitment to find a new floating dock to resume activity, they inspected facilities in various parts of the world, such as United States, Cuba, Indonesia, China, Italy, Korea and Singapore, among others. Some did not meet the required technical conditions and others were withdrawn from the market by their owners.
For Tsakos, they were months of talks, to bid and evaluate costs, but they were unable to access a floating dock that would allow them to continue operating.
“After having exhausted all the options that were on the table and despite the great support received from the Uruguayan government and the best disposition of all our staff, Tsakos Naval Industries has been forced to make the sad decision to close its operations in the country,” they reported.
In any case, given the union and labor concern over the loss of 200 jobs – some on a seasonal basis, as is the case of the president of the PIT-CNT, Marcelo Abdala—, The Greek company assured that they do not have any debt and that they will properly comply with each and every one of their obligations to the staff.
He Executive committee of the National Union of Metal Workers and Related Branches (Untmra)for its part, urged the political system and public authorities “to contribute with the necessary solutions for the work of Uruguayans,” and pointed out that the port “needs a dock, because it gives added value to the country.”
Source: Ambito
