Split: Prime Minister Kosor nudged the newley built ship and promised to do everything for the survival of the shipyards

Prime Minister JADRANKA KOSOR in the Brodosplit's shipyard nudged today the brand new ship designed for the national shipping company "Jadrolinija", and in a brief speech said that the Government will do everything for the survival of the manufacturing in the Split shipyard.

"The Government will work with your management and Union representatives to do everything for the survival of the manufacturing in the "Brodosplit", as the Prime Minister told to the assembled workers. It is emphasized that the new ship for the "Jadrolinija" embedded the intelligence and savvy of the Croatian shipyard workers.

The new built ship can accommodate 1200 passengers and 138 cars.

Director of the Special Factory Buildings in the Split shipyard, Damir Arapovic, pointed out that this ship is part of the Project of the re-building of the, so-called "White fleet", for the domestic shipping company, and this Project supports the Government.

Chairman of the Board of the "Jadrolinija" Slavko Loncar said that it was the eighth ship for the "Jadrolinija" which the Government helped to build. Four ships were built in the Split and four in the "Kraljevica" shipyard.

Loncar said that the "Jadrolinija" in the next five-year plan intends to borrow thw loans to build the new vessels in the domestic shipyards. Jadrolinija annually transports nearly ten million passengers, he said.

Ship nudging ceremony was proceded by a meeting of the Prime minister Kosor and the Ministers Ivan Suker, Bozidar Kalmeta and Duro Popijac and the President of the Croatian Privatization Fund, Vedran Duvnjak, and also with the "Brodosplit" management representatives and the representatives of the Unions and the companies involved in this Project.

Kosor told to the reporters that the representatives of the management and the Union in the "Brodosplit" shipyard accepted the proposal that "from this moment they together will begin to work on a possible plan B in the Split's shipyard", if this plan fail on the second round of the privatization.

Kosor is convinced that the second round of the privatization must succeed, but there was also discussed about 'what to do till the April 20th, if the second round of the privatisation completely fail. "The government will do everything to continue the production here, if the privatization would not be successful." - said Kosor.

Asked about what does it means, Kosor said: "that it means just what I said.".

When asked to comment on the proposal to the Split's shipyard built ships for 'themselves', which would become a "Brodosplit" as a shipper, she said that the talks today were open about all the possibilities, and announced the resumption of the talks on concrete proposals.

When Kosor were asked whether the Croatian Government is under pressure from the Brussels, because of the privatization of the shipyards, Kosor said that "none presses us in any way", and added as a strategic and historic goal of ending the negotiations this year for the Croatian entry to EU.

"In this sense, we do a lot. Certainly in this context we look at this Project, related to the Croatian shipyard," said Kosor.

She added that the plan B, like this one for the Split's shipyard, in case of the failure of the privatization, will apply for the all other shipyards.