WELCOME
Shipbuilding in times of corona FOLLOWING THE ECONOMIC CRISIS A FEW YEARS AGO, THE SHIPBUILDING INDUSTRY WAS GETTING HEALTHIER BY THE YEAR. CONFIDENCE WAS HIGH, ECONOMIES WERE BOOMING, AND THERE WAS GROWTH ALL ACROSS THE industry’s various branches. And then COVID-19 appeared, a pandemic unlike anything we have seen in modern times. As a result, there is a lot of uncertainty about what the future will hold. Immediately obvious is corona’s human toll, but the full magnitude of the economic impact will become visible in the months and years to come. It is in times like these that we want to reach out to our friends and colleagues, which is currently rather difficult to do. Many of the trade fairs scheduled for the first half of 2020, such as Posidonia and the Electric & Hybrid Marine World Expo, have been postponed or cancelled. It has, at least temporarily, deprived us of the opportunity to share our experiences and to plan ahead. Fortunately, there is cautious room for optimism, too. It may be too soon to say that we have conquered the virus or even subdued it, but some countries are considering easing their lockdowns and safety measures. It shows that there is life and work after COVID-19. What is also abundantly clear is that in times of crises, our creativity flourishes. There have been several innovative workarounds to ensure services to customers are uninterrupted, and I am confident most companies are already formulating a post-corona plan of attack. It is this determination, experience, and flexibility that will get our industry through this. While we have to keep everyone at a 1.5m distance, the virus has somehow brought us closer together. So let’s use that togetherness to help our wonderful shipbuilding industry to recover from this and to start flourishing again. The world may never be the same again after this, but we can try to make sure it is a change for the better. Stay safe and healthy! Marco Geels COMMERCIAL DIRECTOR MARCO@YNFPUBLISHERS.COM
s h i p b u i l d i n g - i n d u s t r y.eu
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