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Shipyards, an essential element of Romania’s maritime power

Shipyards, an essential element of Romania’s maritime power-Author Constantin Ciorobea

Situated between the Balkan peninsula, Eastern Europe and the Middle East, the Black Sea is an almost enclosed sea that communicates with the Mediterranean Sea only through the Bosphorus and Dardanelles straits. But it is a source of food, an important economic zone, a transportation route, but also a region that can facilitate the projection of power, and since Russia’s attack on Ukraine, it has become a theater of war.

In this context, the Black Sea region is of particular importance for Europe because it is located at the intersection of the main east-west and north-south corridors, geographically at the crossroads and at the same time on the edge of the European, Eurasian and Middle Eastern spaces. The geographical position of the region allows the projection of power elements along these corridors towards the European continent, through the Balkan region and Central Europe, as well as towards the Eastern Mediterranean, the South Caucasus and the Northern Middle East.

The Black Sea has become geostrategically important, through international trade, digital communications, energy production and transportation, maritime, river and land transportation routes between different regions on the north-south but increasingly important east-west axis. In this geopolitical context, Romania has a duty to support its economic, political, diplomatic and military interests at regional level, and an essential element can be the development of Romania’s maritime power.

The role of shipyards in realizing maritime power

The concept of “Maritime Power” has undergone several attempts at definition and has not yet reached a definition that satisfies the expectations of all international actors, state and non-state. But we can start the analysis by using the definition from Wikipedia, “A maritime power (sometimes also called a naval power) is a nation with a very strong navy/naval force, most often also a great power or at least a regional power. A maritime power is in a position to easily control its own coastline and exert influence over nearby or distant countries. A nation that dominates the world in naval terms is recognized as a maritime superpower.”[1]

The concept of a state’s maritime power began to be theorized since the 19th century when “a number of authors such as Alfred Thayer Mahan, Julian Corbett, Robert Stransz-Hupé, Derwent Whrittlesey and Nicholas Spykman.”[2] focused their attention on it and produced seminal works on the concept, and in the 20th century Geoffrey Till and Sergey Grigorevich Gorshkov, the last bringing the Soviet perspective on the concept. “From an analysis of most of the works dealing with the concept, it appears that the father of this theory is Admiral Alfred Thayer Mahan.”[3]

In our country, as presented by Rear-Admiral of the Fleet (rtr) Dr. Ion CUSTURĂ in the article “Necessity and possibility of increasing Romania’s maritime power”[4] we can appreciate that the first to have considered the concept of maritime power were the commanders Gheorghe Emanuel Koslinski and Eugeniu Rosca, contribution materialized in the study “Do we need a Navy?” in 1923, and then Commander Ioan Bălănescu with his monumental lecture “Maritime Power as a Factor of Civilization and National Defence” delivered at the Conference of the Romanian Naval League, 1928, which is broadly in line with the current of the time generated by Mahan. Commander Ioan Bălănescu, whom I would call “Romania’s Mahan”, defined the state’s maritime power as follows: “the totality of the means by which a country exercises its rights in the exploitation of the maritime domain, in order to obtain all the economic, political and military benefits, is called maritime power.”[5]

But these definitions, which cover the more military aspects of maritime power, are now being re-evaluated, considering that maritime power should not only be considered in its purely military component, but that the non-military aspect of the use of the sea is equally relevant in determining maritime power. Thus in the ” UK Maritime Power/ Joint Doctrine Publication 0-10 (JDP 0-10) (5th Edition), dated October 2017″[6], maritime power is defined as “a broad concept, based on traditions and the state’s dependence on the maritime environment. It encompasses a range of economic, political and military aspects realized through a state’s ability to use the sea. These are intertwined with the three levers of national power – diplomatic, economic and military supported by the intelligence system. Maritime power is therefore a measure of total national commitment to the maritime domain, the capacity to act in it and the ability to exploit it. It cannot be accurately calculated as it includes intangibles such as culture, identity and mythology. Maritime power is therefore not only the military aspect, as it includes, but is not limited to:

– the value of maritime trade as a percentage of gross domestic product;

– dependence on resources transported by sea;

– the workforce employed in shipping;

– offshore economic interests – including oil and gas, fisheries, renewable energy;

– shipyards, docks and ports;

– all other on-shore, sea-related economic activities.”[7]

I consider it important to begin the analysis on Romania’s maritime power and the importance of the Black Sea for Romania, with the message of Simion Mehedinți “The sea means “freedom and light” the sea shore is the most favorable facade for any State, and that all nations that want to have a great future, to the sea and the ocean they turn. It is therefore appropriate never to lose sight of the seaward facade of the Romanian State”[8]

As Simion Mehedinți said, going out to the sea was of great significance and remains important today. And this gives Romania the status of maritime power, but the level of this power depends on our state to define and exercise it.

History of shipyards

In the following I will present one of the three levers of national power reflected in maritime power, namely the economic aspect represented by shipyards.

The existence of the first activities related to the construction or repair of ships “dates back to 1565, when, according to an Ottoman firman addressed to Prince Alexandru Lăpușneanu, there was a small workshop for the repair of ships in Galati, a fact that Dimitrie Cantemir also attests in his “Descriptio Moldavie”[9].

The first voyage, outside the country’s borders, of a ship, the sailing ship of the brig type, “Marița”, flying the Romanian flag, took place on December 7, 1834, on the Sulina – Constantinople route. The ship was built in Giurgiu and was commanded on this march by Ioan Cristescu, and Cezar Boliac wrote the poem “La cea dintâi prima corabie românească” (To the first Romanian ship), on the departure to Constantinople.

“Beautiful ship: Go, go, hurry!

On distant shores run, tell the tale

That it is not so easy for a nation that has lived,

That tyranny can destroy a man:

But the life of a nation it cannot unheal,

Till at last justice has triumphed forever.”

In 1841, the first military ship, a three-gun gunboat, was built in Galati, but there was still no continuous shipbuilding activity.

In 1892, the Ministry for Public Works referred to the Repair Workshop in Constanța Port, and the development of ship repair workshops in Galati was facilitated by the installation in 1856 of the European Commission of the Danube in Galati.

In 1893, Gheorghe Fernic, who can be considered the father of modern Romanian shipbuilding, founded “Gheorghe Fernic&Co” (today’s shipyard in Galati) in 1893. The particular importance of this shipyard in the context of maritime power was emphasized from 1941, when, in addition to the construction of military vessels, the assembly of six “Type II U-boats” was started, which were transported in pieces from Germany. The NMS submarines NMS “Shark” and NMS “Marsuinul” were also produced in this yard until 1944.

After the Second World War, Romania put more and more emphasis on shipbuilding in the 1960s. Some existing shipyards were modernized (Galati) and others were established (Constanta, Braila, Tulcea, Giurgiu, Oltenița, Sulina, Drobeta-Turnu Severin …), but most importantly in 1950 the Mechano-Naval Institute was established in Galati, consisting of the Faculty of Shipbuilding and the Faculty of Ship and Port Operations. And in 1966 the Research and Design Institute for Shipbuilding Research and Design Galați/ ICEPRONAV was set up, dedicated to design, research and technological engineering for shipbuilding.

The first Romanian cargo ships of 4,500 tdw, “Galați” and “Brăila”, were built at the Galati Shipyard, as well as the first marine drilling platforms.

The Constanța Shipyard was developed for the construction of large seagoing vessels up to 200,000 tdwt and the Mangalia Shipyard was built. Large bulk carriers, from 55,000 to 165,000 tdw, and tankers with displacements up to 150,000 tdw were built at Constanța. Of the shipyards on the Danube, the most important are Giurgiu and Drobeta-Turnu Severin, which specialize in building river vessels. In the 1990s in Romania there were three maritime shipyards (Midia, Constanța, Mangalia), four river-sea shipyards (Sulina, Tulcea, Galati, Braila), six river shipyards (Orșova, Drobeta-Turnu Severin, Giurgiu, Oltenița, Harșova) and ten shipyards (Turnu Severin, Giurgiu, Fetești, Cernavodă, Braila, Galati, Tulcea, Sulina, Constanta and Basarabi).

The existence and performance of the shipyards also facilitated the development of the Romanian Naval Forces, with the majority of the ships in their dockyards being built. Thus, the frigate “Mărășești”, the largest warship ever built in Romania, displacement 5550 tons, was built in the Mangalia Shipyard, between 1979-1985. Also built in Mangalia were the “Tetal-I” and “Tetal-II” class corvettes, the Missile Carrier – ALBATROSUL/ VPR-199, the “Epitrop” class large torpedo-carrying stars, the “Epitrop” class torpedo-carrying stars on carrier wings, the mine and net fighters, the “Musca” class maritime dredgers, the river armored stars, the hydrographic maritime ship “Cpt.cdor. Al. CĂTUNEANU”, the “Grigore Antipa” maritime ship for divers. In the Drobeta Turnu-Severin shipyard were built the “Mihail Kogălniceanu” class river monitors and the “Vedetele Fluviale” class river monitors, and in the Oltenița shipyard, the “GROZAVUL” maritime salvage tug. The last new warships to enter the Navy’s service in 1996 were the corvette “Rear-Admiral Horia Macellariu/265” and the monitor “Lascăr Catargiu/47”.

After 1990, the shipbuilding sector, as in all other industries in Romania, began to be privatized. In my opinion, this process was out of control at the time, and if we add to this the fact that the competence and managerial qualities of the businessmen involved in these privatizations were not the strong point, bankruptcy became a common denominator for all these false businessmen. But if for the fake businessmen the business has been profitable because their personal accounts have been filled with larger or smaller sums, the Romanian shipbuilding industry has been affected because a number of shipyards have been closed, but the most serious aspect is the loss of highly qualified staff in the sector through redundancies. In addition to mismanagement, we can add to this the scandals linked to tick companies which have taken over important activities in the shipbuilding sector, employee dissatisfaction, the ageing and even the expiry of production technologies, all of which have led to the situation in this sector.

At certain periods, the Romanian state seems to have understood the importance of this sector and, in an attempt to imitate the Asian model, Romania at some point granted support to this sector by granting state aid to the shipbuilding industry. The Competition Council issued such a regulation in 2004, and the majority of shipbuilding companies in Romania were beneficiaries of state aid. The companies Navol SA Oltenița, Aker SA Brăila, Șantierul Naval Carsinav SA Hârșova, Șantierul Naval SA Constanța, Shipyard ATG SRL Giurgiu, Metallics&Ships SRL Giurgiu, Șantierul Naval Orșova SA, Aker SA Tulcea and Severnav SA Drobeta Turnu-Severin received state aid totaling EUR 22.7 million, the highest amount of state aid granted at that time being granted to Șantierul Naval Constanța[10].

After the stage of mismanagement and tick companies to save what could be saved from the Romanian shipbuilding industry, the attraction of foreign capital and foreign shareholders started.

Situation of the main Romanian shipyards

And now as a result of some successful privatizations as well as some failed ones, the Romanian shipbuilding sector is mainly focused on the production of small and medium-sized ships, including offshore vessels, barges, container ships, chemical tankers and fishing vessels, block sections for cruise ships, sophisticated ships are built, with very modern technologies, some of these ships being unique in the world, but also military ships for NATO member or partner countries.

Some of the biggest companies in the shipyard industry are Damen Shipyard Galati, Damen Shipyards Mangalia, Vard Brăila, Vard Tulcea and Șantierul Naval Constanța.

Damen Shipyard Galați is currently one of the biggest players in the local shipbuilding industry. The yard was privatized in 1999 and taken over by the Dutch group “Damen”, which invested in new technologies and equipment. But they also initiated one of the most radical changes in the yard’s century-long history, affecting the entire way the yard operates: organizational structure, planning system, quality control. They also developed the naval architecture, and naval design and engineering projects developed for the naval forces of the various contracting countries, carried out by the more than 185 Romanian engineers from Marine Engineering Galati (MEGA), a company operating on the shipyard’s platform in Galati.

Aspects also underlined by the General Manager of Damen Galati Shipyard, Mr. Doru Gaibăr “We have consolidated our position in the industry as one of the most performing shipyards, standing out through a diversified portfolio of ships built and the ability to meet the most complex and demanding customer requirements (…) We are determined to continue investing”[11].

Fully electric ferries have been built at Galati for the province of British Columbia, Canada, as well as one of the most sophisticated vessels built in recent years, an icebreaker for Antarctica. The “Nuyina” is being built for the Australian government as part of a two-billion Australian dollar project. The icebreaker will provide the three Australian research stations in Antarctica and the Macquire Island station with cargo and equipment, and provide transportation for researchers and personnel.

On naval shipbuilding, Mr. Jan Win Dekker, commercial director of the Galati shipyard, said, “At the moment we are building for three navies, we are building for the Netherlands, for Pakistan and for Portugal. We are not building anything for the Romanian Naval Forces or the Romanian Army”[12].

SN Damen Galați has built over the last decades more than 30 military or intervention ships for NATO countries or partners of the Alliance or the European Union, including patrol vessels for the Pakistani Naval Forces, the “HNLMS Karel Doorman”, with a displacement of 28,000 tdw and a length of 205 meters, the longest ship ever built in Romania, a Joint Logistic Support Ship (JSS) for the Royal Netherlands Naval Forces, a ship for the United Arab Emirates Coast Guard. Four new frigates will also be designed and built for Belgium and the Netherlands

Among the most important production projects underway since October 2024 is the construction of a multi-purpose ship, a drone carrier for the Portuguese Navy, and the message of the Portuguese Minister of Defense, Mr. Nuno Melo, at the start of works, emphasizes the importance to be given to the maritime domain “Investing in the maritime domain means investing in the future of Portugal and its people”[13].

With regard to the shipyard’s production for Romania, Mr. Gheorghe Savu’s statement in the program Produs în România, a project carried out by ZF in partnership with Masterbuild, is enlightening, “In the ten years of activity at the Galati shipyard we have produced over 400 ships, of which over 30 are modern and complex military vessels, all designed and produced in Galati. Why is it that other NATO and EU countries trust the shipyard in Galati to produce these ships, while the Romanian state fails to do so? We have produced a total of only 17 ships for the Romanian state since Damen has been in existence, they are not complex, large ships, the most important being the patrol vessel Ștefan cel Mare for the Border Police”[14].

Șantierul Naval “Vard” Tulcea and Șantierul Naval “Vard” Brăila are the market leaders in shipbuilding and the biggest employers in the area. As their name suggests, they are two shipyards of VARD – the Norwegian subsidiary of the Fincantieri Group, which is one of the world’s largest shipbuilders and which chose Romania to develop its business some years ago.

Continuing Romania’s shipbuilding tradition, the company has successfully transformed these shipyards, which are now considered to be among the most modern in Europe. The change has been achieved through investment, technology transfer, diversification strategy and skilled employees. Fincantieri has around 400 design engineers in Romania, directly employed by VARD, providing a credible platform for know-how transfer.

The two shipyards have over the years built a wide range of vessels, from small craft to sophisticated vessels. Recently, as part of the Fincantieri group, the yards have entered a new market segment, that of cruise and expedition ships. The Romanian yards have the technology and experience to build both hulls and complete ships. Vard Tulcea is building a wide range of specialized vessels: expedition, transport and offshore vessels as well as more sophisticated ones, such as a submarine cable-laying vessel or a shrimp fishing vessel. The yard also supplies the block sections for cruise ships under construction at Fincantieri. At Vard Brăila, the construction and outfitting of transport vessels is being finalized. The yard is also building hulls for ferries and fishing boats.

A specialized container ship is being built at the Vard shipyard in Brăila, which has 100% electric propulsion and is fully automated in terms of loading, unloading and navigation. It will basically be an unmanned vessel. The “Yara Birkeland” is being built for the Norwegian company “Yara”, one of the world’s largest chemical fertilizer producers.

Also in Brăila, in collaboration with the Vard Soviknes shipyard in Norway, a ship is being built which is unique in the world in terms of the technologies used. It is a trawler, a fishing vessel which will be the first in the world to be equipped with an integrated energy storage system, consisting of diesel mechanical/diesel electric propulsion and batteries. It is being built for the Norwegian company “Havfisk”, Norway’s largest trawler operator.

Another world first, the “Le Commandant Charcot”, an icebreaker designed for cruises and scientific expeditions to the North Pole, is being built at the Vard shipyard in Tulcea, for the French company Ponant. The technical performance that makes it unique in the world is that it will have a hybrid electric and liquefied natural gas propulsion, making it the first exploration vessel to exceed the environmental standards set in international regulations.

The Constanta Shipyard was first documented in 1892, when the first shipyard was established in the port of Constanta, the nucleus of S. N. Constanta. As of June 30 this year (2024), the company had Resource International SA of the Marshall Islands as its majority shareholder (97.74%).[15] Șantierul Naval Constanta S.A. is among the largest shipbuilding and ship repair yards in Europe, allowing the construction and repair of ships up to 200,000 tdw.

The yard in Constanta operates predominantly in the field of ship repair, but also executes newbuildings such as chemical tankers, bulk carriers, complex constructions – from pontoons to LPG carriers and oil rig supply vessels. The yard has built the largest floating crane in the Black Sea area which can lift up to 65 tons.

The Damen 2 Mai-Mangalia shipyard ‘s main activity is shipbuilding and ship repair. Since 1997, it was realized Daewoo-Mangalia Heavy Industries/ DMHI, a joint venture between the world’s leading shipbuilder Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering of Korea and Șantierul Naval Mangalia S.A.

Initially DMHI embarked on a multi-million euro investment plan to increase production potential by expanding the industrial shipbuilding halls, acquiring high-performance laser and plasma cutting machinery and increasing the dry dock. Two portal cranes were also purchased from the USA, which, after assembly, are the largest such shipbuilding machines in Europe.

Over the last 20 years, Daewoo South Koreans have built more than 150 ships in Mangalia. Despite its intensive production, DMHI, in which the Romanian state owned 49% of the shares, has consistently reported losses.

Apart from the related taxes and a rent of 48,000 dollars a year for the 80.86 hectares of land on which the shipyard operated, the Romanian state apparently received nothing, despite its 49% stake. The shipyard’s management directed all revenues to the parent company and this led to the absurd situation of the Mangalia shipyard having to import everything needed for production from Korea. “The Koreans have brought everything from Korea, they built ships in Mangalia only with materials bought from Korea. Even the sand they brought from there.”[16] Florin Marin, the president of the DMHI’s shipyard union, told Jurnalul Național. “The Romanian state never had any say.”

On July 20, 2018, the deal for the takeover of the Daewoo Mangalia Heavy Industries shipyard by Damen Shipyard Group from the Netherlands, which also owns the shipyard in Galati, was finalized. Basically, the Dutch from Damen Shipyards Group took over the majority stake from the Koreans of Daewoo and transferred 2% to the Romanian state, so that the Ministry of Economy, through the shipyard 2 Mai Mangalia Mangalia SA, ended up controlling a 51% stake. In June 2024, the company went into insolvency, hundreds of workers were sent on technical unemployment until December 31, 2024, thus the shipyard starts to lose its main asset, the highly skilled workforce.

The future of the Mangalia shipyard depends on the implementation of a reorganization and recovery plan that includes strategic investments and financial support for the contracting of major projects that will ensure the resumption of activity at its optimal capacity and provide real chances of recovery. Without cooperation between all the parties involved, including the Romanian state authorities and the economic partners, the risk that the yard, which is insolvent and unable to pay, will lose its chances of recovery and go bankrupt becomes inevitable. This aspect was presented to the newspaper “Cuget Liber”, by the president of the Free Shipyard Workers’ Union of the Damen 2 Mai-Mangalia Shipyard, Laurențiu Gobeajă “In the absence of concrete measures to recover the shipyard and protect jobs, the future of this shipyard, essential for the local economy and the national strategic interest, is seriously threatened, with the risk that it will become a mere tourist attraction from a strategic objective of national interest”[17].

The existing situation has been generated among other things by the law adopted by the Parliament, whereby companies in the situation of Damen Shipyards Mangalia, with a majority state shareholder but with private operational control, are no longer exempted from the local legislation on corporate governance of public enterprises.

One solution to save the Mangalia shipyard could be the partial application of the status that the Mangalia Shipyard had until 2001, when it was a branch of the subsidiary S.C. “Arsenal” S.A., of the national company “Romarm” S.A. That is, part of the shipyard should become a specialized unit for the construction and repair of ships and military technology.

Shipyards, a strategic sector

Shipyards are a strategic sector of particular importance for Romania’s economy, but also for the definition of our country’s maritime power. The development of this sector can have a positive impact on the economic development of the country and can generate numerous benefits in the field of security, as well as social and economic development.

Shipbuilding provides a significant number of jobs in various fields such as ship engineering, construction, welding, mechanics and logistics. This contributes to reducing unemployment and provides professional opportunities for young people and industry specialists.

The revival of shipbuilding can increase Romania’s ability to export ships and boats to international markets, generating significant export revenues and contributing to improving the trade balance.

This sector ensures a diversification of the local economy and a reduction of dependence on certain sectors. This provides greater economic resilience and reduces the risk of economic fluctuations in the event of crises in other sectors. Shipbuilding development can support the promotion of Romania’s offshore economic interests, including oil and gas, fisheries, renewable energy, but can also stimulate other related industries, such as metallurgy, energy.

In the field of security, shipbuilding supports the development of Romania’s maritime defense and security capabilities. The construction of military and maritime surveillance vessels can strengthen Romania’s presence and influence in its maritime area of responsibility and contribute to maintaining regional security and stability.

As Mr. Petru Ianc, president of the Romanian Metallurgy Society and former head of the Industrial Policy Department of the Ministry of Economy, emphasized, “The strength and size of the shipbuilding industry are indicators for the strength of an economy. The closure of such a capacity (Damen 2 Mai-Mangalia Shipyard), at a time when more and more investments are being made, including in the defense sector, would mean a strategic loss for Romania and its security”[18].

An important aspect regarding shipbuilding is the existence of the professional association of shipbuilders, “established in 1995, the Romanian Shipbuilders’ Association, ANCONAV, represents the interests of shipyards and of Romanian shipbuilders, equipment and raw materials manufacturers, distributors and raw materials distributors on a national and international level.”[19]

The Association of Romanian Shipbuilders (ANCONAV), initiated the steps for the establishment of a national shipping company, following the NAVROM model of the communist period. “Thanks to the 9 shipyards operating in Romania, our country ranks among the top 5 European ship-producing countries, having also a significant number of personnel involved in this industry“[20], the cover letter states.

In the document, ANCONAV calls, among other things, for the development of a transportation strategy for Romania through the establishment of a national shipping company. “Through such an approach, Romania can develop a sustainable strategy for the security of maritime transport that will be able to bring benefits to all economic sectors directly involved (port activity, shipyards, transport service providers), but also to the regional economy, by ensuring the supply/delivery of raw materials and products. In this respect, an eloquent proof of the success of such an initiative is the model of the 1970s, when the establishment of a national transport company was at the basis of the development of the naval sector in Romania“[21], the ANCONAV letter states.

Concerning the efficiency of a national transport company and the national flag, I would like to recall the position of the general director of the Swiss shipping company Suisse-Atlantique, Mr. Jean-No Andrée “The existence of a national flag is a political decision. It is linked to a maritime strategy”. “The flag must represent the qualitative values of Switzerland, but also be sufficiently competitive and attractive for shipowners to transfer their vessels under this flag.”[22]

If we analyze the latest developments in the Black Sea from the accession to the “Schengen Area” to the construction of the deep-sea port of Anaklia, we will identify a number of opportunities.

China is making an estimated $2.5 billion investment in the construction of the Anaklia deep-sea port, the largest infrastructure investment in Georgia’s history, which will contribute to the development of the Middle Corridor of China’s Belt and Road initiative, a transportation route linking China to Europe. If we have such an investment on the eastern shore of the Black Sea, it means that from there the goods have to go to the western shore and why not on the Danube to the middle of Europe, so there will be a need for more sea and river vessels, for containers, maybe RO-RO or ferries.

The same opportunity is represented by the accession to the “Schengen Area”, regarding the freight transport from Turkey, but here the rail and highway connection between Constanta and the west of the country needs to be completed.

Conclusions

Romania has a substantial inland waterway network (Danube, Danube-Black Sea Canal, Poarta Albă-Midia-Năvodari Canal) and a territorially balanced port infrastructure on the Black Sea and Danube rivers, connected by rail and in the near future by highways to the west of the country. The shipbuilding sector is well represented. The human resource in the shipbuilding sector is still one of Romania’s strengths, the result of an integrated, dedicated, specialized education system. Aspects that provide favorable premises for the promotion of our interests in the maritime and fluvial field,

In order to define the role of shipyards and other components in the realization of maritime power, I believe it is important to emphasize the need for the elaboration and approval of a “Maritime Strategy”. I will not return to the maritime strategy elements of the great powers or the Black Sea littoral states. I will just mention that in June 2023, the Swiss government established a new “Maritime Strategy 2023-2027” for the landlocked country, which will focus on six thematic reforms. “As a globally oriented economy, Switzerland relies on smooth global logistics chains and maritime trade,”[23] the government said. In addition, several Swiss shipping and logistics companies operate around 900 ships. The Swiss flag is currently flown on 14 ocean-going vessels, but in 2017 there were 50 ships.

Now that I have presented the interest of a landlocked country in the maritime sector, I will come back to our industry by presenting the position of Mr. Gheorghe Savu, director of Damen Naval Romania, “The shipping industry must be considered an industry of strategic interest, especially in a country like Romania, which is located on the Black Sea and the Danube, where transport, as well as coastal defense, are very important elements. I believe that Romania must protect certain shipbuilding production capacities which it has, such as this shipyard. We at least want fair competition when auctions are held for civil and military ships. In a competition without any other influences, our shipyards have primacy, the capacities can produce any type of ship, be it civil or military”[24].

Romania must have strong local producers and, therefore, shipyards must be supported in the implementation of investment projects in a strategic field of activity at national and local level, which involves labor and a whole related sector of services and subcontractors, horizontally.

Political decision-makers should also pay close attention to the issue of the navy, of the maritime space under Romania’s responsibility, which is also an EU responsibility. And the statement made by the Portuguese Minister of Defence in Galati is relevant: “The extended maritime territory under Portugal’s jurisdiction constitutes a significant part of the Exclusive Economic Zones of the Member States of the European Union. Protecting this region is becoming increasingly important in the context of the intensification of strategic competition in the North Atlantic. It is crucial to strengthen our capabilities to face these threats and to secure underwater resources, which are of particular strategic value”[25].

Providing security to the economic environment generates financial resources for the military. The most recent example is Turkey, which has said it will send two additional frigates and warships to secure the area and monitor oil drilling operations off the Somali coast by the geological exploration vessel “Oruc Reis”.

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[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maritime_power#Notes

[2] Hanganu, M., Sea Power and Naval Strategy, AISM Publishing House, Bucharest, 2001

[3] Hanganu, M., Sea Power and Naval Strategy, AISM Publishing House, Bucharest, 2001

[4] https://sentinela.ro/2024/08/05/necesitatea-si-posibilitatea-cresterii-puterii-maritime-a-romaniei/

[5] Bălănescu, I., “Maritime power as a factor of civilization and national defence”, Conference held at the Romanian Naval League, 1928.

[6] https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5a82af8840f0b6230269c2b6/doctrine_uk_maritime_power_jdp_0_10.pdf

[7] https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5a82af8840f0b6230269c2b6/doctrine_uk_maritime_power_jdp_0_10.pdf

[8] Simion Mehedinți/Opere Complete Opere, Vol I- Geografica, parte a doua, pag. 164/ Biblioteca Enciclopedică, Fundația Regală pentru Literatură și Artă / Bucharest- 1943

[9] https://romanialibera.ro/la-zi/in-romania-sunt-construite-unele-dintre-cele-mai-sofisticate-nave-din-lume-768348/

[10] https://www.dezvaluiri.ro/industria-navala-romaneasca-se-scufunda/

[11] https://www.zf.ro/companii/santierul-naval-damen-galati-contracteaza-finantare-25-mil-euro-exim-22568053

[12] https://monitorulapararii.ro/santierul-arunca-manusa-marina-o-ridica-provocare-acceptata-sau-mirajul-marinei-1-55624

[13] https://monitorulapararii.ro/santierul-arunca-manusa-marina-o-ridica-provocare-acceptata-sau-mirajul-marinei-1-55624

[14] https://www.zf.ro/zf-produs-in-romania/zf-masterbuild-produs-romania-gheorghe-savu-santierele-damen-20468214

[15] https://focuspress.ro/pe-fondul-volumului-redus-de-reparatii-nave-santierul-naval-constanta-a-raportat-pierderi-in-primul-semestrul-al-anului/

[16] https://jurnalul.ro/bani-afaceri/economia/dmhi-s-a-vandut-statul-inca-se-gandeste-daca-l-cumpara-757626.html

[17] https://cugetliber.ro/stiri-economie-cea-mai-mare-bogatie-pe-care-o-pierde-santierul-naval-damen-2-mai-mangalia-probabil-asta-s-a-dorit-521151

[18] https://www.zf.ro/business-construct/esec-major-pentru-industria-romaneasca-ce-se-poate-face-pentru-22392453

[19] https://www.anconav.ro/ro/despre/despre-anconav/

[20]https://www.profit.ro/povesti-cu-profit/auto-transporturi/constructorii-de-nave-cer-guvernului-sa-infiinteze-o-companie-de-stat-de-transport-maritim-care-sa-le-cumpere-productia-avansand-exemplul-navrom-din-comunism-20246061

[21] https://www.profit.ro/povesti-cu-profit/auto-transporturi/constructorii-de-nave-cer-guvernului-sa-infiinteze-o-companie-de-stat-de-transport-maritim-care-sa-le-cumpere-productia-avansand-exemplul-navrom-din-comunism-20246061

[22] https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/business/switzerland-rescues-its-merchant-fleet/48467212

[23]https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/politics/landlocked-switzerland-charts-new-maritime-course/48561856

[24] https://www.zf.ro/zf-produs-in-romania/zf-masterbuild-produs-romania-gheorghe-savu-santierele-damen-20468214

[25] https://monitorulapararii.ro/santierul-arunca-manusa-marina-o-ridica-provocare-acceptata-sau-mirajul-marinei-1-55624

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