Members from China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation (CSIC) held discussions with board members of the Croatian shipbuilding group Uljanik, regarding a potential investment on two financially-troubled shipyards.
According to data provided by local media, CSIC showed an interest in the technology and special-purpose vessels, a member of Uljanik’s supervisory board said after a four-hour meeting in the northern coastal town of Pula, Tuesday.
This happens as the Croatian shipyard has been in financial trouble for months and workers are on a strike over ILO breaches, as they have not received their wages for months.
Expressing his satisfaction with the meeting, Samir Hadžić told Total Croatia News that the Chinese will not need much time to make their final decision, because the workers in Pula and Rijeka ‘have no more time to wait‘.
The high-level Chinese delegation was led by CSIC CEO Hu Wenming, and the meeting was also attended by the Croatian Assistant Minister of Economy, Zvonimir Novak.
In March, Croatian police authorities arrested 12 people as part of investigations into a corruption scandal of Uljanik, due to allegations of ‘abuse of trust in financial transactions’ and fraud.
The country’s Ministry of the Interior said the police started investigations into Uljanik in September 2018.
