OLIVER DESIGN, a naval design and architecture company based in Getxo (Vizcaya), has started 2020 with excellent prospects: its order book is projected to grow by around 30% by year's end, and the latest contracts signed guarantee a good level of activity for at least the next two years. This confirms the company's gradual recovery over the past few years and its return to activity levels comparable to those recorded before the recession that began in 2008.
The company concluded 2019 with a strong performance, highlighted by projects such as the state-of-the-art tuna vessel “Aterpe Alai,” built at the Zamakona Shipyard for the Bermeo-based company Echebastar; the sophisticated shadow boat (a service vessel for a superyacht) “Hodor,” built at the Armón Shipyard in Burela; the fast ferry “Mar de Cíes,” also built at the same shipyard for the Mar de Ons shipping company, which operates in the Galician estuaries; and two coastal patrol vessels, the first built at the Freire Shipyard for the Kuwaiti Ministry of Fisheries and the second at Armón for the Spanish Civil Guard's Maritime Service. It is also worth noting that in 2019 the “Scenic Eclipse,” a luxury
exploration cruise ship equipped with the latest technology and featuring architectural design by OLIVER DESIGN, began operations.
As for the projects underway, they include design and interior outfitting work on a dozen vessels of the most varied types:
- A small luxury cruise ship, the “Lord of the Highlands”, intended for cruises through the Scottish Highlands and the Hebrides Islands, resulting from the refurbishment in Vigo of a passenger vessel that operated in Turkey.
- The eco-efficient Smart Fast Ferry “Eleanor Roosevelt” for Baleària, the first of its kind in the world powered by natural gas engines, is currently being built at the Armón Shipyards in Gijón and will operate in the Balearic Islands.
- The 28-meter tugboat “Ibaizabal Quince”, built for the shipowner of the same name by Astilleros de Murueta, is in the final phase of its outfitting.
- A ship for the transport of live fish, the “Kristoffer Tronds”, also built by Astilleros de Murueta for a Norwegian shipowner.
- Two new shadow boats, the novel type of support boats for luxury yachts, which like the “Hodor” have been contracted to the Armón Shipyards of Burela (Lugo).
- Various refurbishment works on vessels belonging to the shipping company Brittany Ferries, which will be carried out in shipyards in Santander.
- Finally, a new phase in the development of the architectural design of the “Ecoship”, destined to become the most ecological cruise ship in the world, commissioned by the Japanese NGO Peace Boat.
In addition to these projects already underway, OLIVER DESIGN is in a position to sign new contracts that are in advanced stages of negotiation, such as the design of a new transoceanic cruise ship for a Spanish shipowner, as well as the transformation of a 90-meter-long yacht.
The Spanish company is therefore facing both the newly begun 2020 and the following year with excellent prospects. This positive business performance is the result of a diversification strategy that allows OLIVER DESIGN to offer a wide range of services for all types of vessels, whether commissioned by shipowners or shipyards. They also undertake turnkey projects in various locations, adhering to pre-agreed deadlines.
