Estaleiros Navais de Peniche

Estaleiros Navais de Peniche (ENP) is a Portuguese shipyard based in Peniche, founded in 1989 through the merger of several smaller local yards to take over a shipyard site then under construction. It obtained the concession to use the harbour facilities in 1992 and probably began operations in 1994. Its core business is the maintenance, repair, conversion and newbuilding of fishing vessels and coastal vessels such as ferries, passenger ships and workboats. The yard's product range spans fishing boats from 7.5 metres to 34-metre trawlers for small-scale deep-sea fishing, as well as passenger vessels from 12 to 40 metres, including small passenger boats, water taxis, traditional Rabelo-type tour boats, passenger ferries and car ferries. Smaller craft can be adapted as pilot boats, police and rescue vessels, military patrol boats and workboats. On request, ENP also builds small RoRo and RoPax ships, tugs and floating docks. Engines are purchased from suppliers such as Volvo Penta, MAN, John Deere, Baudouin, Caterpillar and Cummins according to customer requirements. While its domestic customers are mainly in fishing and passenger transport, ENP's export customers are primarily in Africa. It has built vessels for clients in Algeria, Angola, Mozambique, Senegal and Cape Verde, with Angola being its most important export market. ENP is one of the larger shipyards in Portugal and, until the establishment of West Sea in 2013, was the country's largest privately operated yard. In 2010 it employed 210 people and generated revenue of €12.5 million, of which €9.1 million came from exports. The company subsequently experienced repeated crises; by 2020 it employed 48 people and had revenue of €1.6 million. In November 2010 ENP acquired the troubled Estaleiros Navais Canal in Madalena on Pico in the Azores, hoping to gain access to the Azorean ferry market, but it could not meet the tender requirements and withdrew. In 2014 the Amal Group together with venture capital firm Oxycapital became the new majority owners, intending to position the yard also for offshore and renewable energy work. In 2016 the crisis in the Angolan economy, hit by falling oil prices, affected the yard again because Angola was its main customer base; due to outstanding liabilities the yard closed the year with losses. After overcoming the crisis, ENP established a small site in Lobito, Angola, to build fibreglass boats for local fishing. At its main site in Peniche the yard has operated with a reduced workforce since the crisis, and only a few orders are known, such as the conversion of the former British salvage ship RMAS Salmaid into the civilian research vessel Mar Portugal. In 2020 the yard failed to win orders for electric ferries in Aveiro and Lisbon. The shipyard is located in the southwest of the city, roughly at the narrowest point of the peninsula, at Molhe Leste. The yard covers 80,000 square metres, of which 12,000 square metres are covered halls capable of accommodating ships up to 60 metres long or 700 tonnes. The five halls are equipped for steelwork, fitting, painting, storage and fibreglass-reinforced plastic work. Ships are slipped via two slipways, the larger designed for vessels up to 140 metres long and 20 metres wide, where there is also a gantry crane. The outdoor area includes a 350-metre pier for repair work, where ships up to 150 metres can berth. In total the yard can accommodate 20 ships.

Estaleiros Navais de Peniche (ENP) was founded in 1989 as a merger of several smaller shipyards from Peniche in order to take over a shipyard site that was then under construction. In 1992 it received the concession for the use of the facilities in the harbour and probably began operations in 1994. The purpose of the company was the maintenance, repair and newbuilding of fishing vessels from the region, where the cooperative Unicoopesca, one of the largest Portuguese fishing operations, was located. Little information is available from the early years. Newbuildings are documented only from about the year 2000 onwards, in particular fishing vessels such as trawlers and cutters for the domestic fishing industry. The vessels and boats, designed for different fishing methods, range from 7.5-metre-long boats to 34-metre trawlers for small-scale deep-sea fishing. In addition, the yard offers several models of passenger ships in the range of 12 to 40 metres: the product range includes small passenger boats, water taxis, traditional Rabelo-type tour boats, passenger ferries and ferries capable of carrying motor vehicles. The smaller boats are also offered, adapted to the respective task, as pilot boats, vehicles for police and rescue services, military patrol boats and workboats. On request, small RoRo ships, RoPax ships, tugs and floating docks are also produced. For all vessels, engines are purchased according to the wishes of the customers and sourced from various manufacturers such as Volvo Penta, MAN, John Deere, Baudouin, Caterpillar or Cummins. The yard's customers, besides the domestic fishing industry and passenger services in Portugal, come mainly from Africa. Ships and boats were built for customers in Algeria, Angola, Mozambique, Senegal and Cape Verde. The most important foreign market is Angola. ENP is one of the larger shipyards in Portugal and, until the establishment of the West Sea shipyard in 2013, was the largest privately operated shipyard in the country: in 2010 the company generated revenue of €12.5 million with 210 employees, of which €9.1 million came from exports. In the following years the company repeatedly fell into crises. In 2020 the yard still employed 48 people and generated revenue of €1.6 million. In November 2010 Estaleiros Navais de Peniche acquired the troubled Estaleiros Navais Canal shipyard in Madalena on the Azorean island of Pico. With this investment ENP hoped to gain access to the ferry market in the Azores, as the shipping company Transmaçor was planning new acquisitions. ENP could not meet the requirements of the tender and withdrew again. In 2014 the Amal Group together with venture capital firm Oxycapital became the new majority owners of the yard. The new owners intended to position the yard additionally for the offshore business and the renewable energy sector. Two years later, in 2016, the Angolan economy, which had fallen into crisis due to lower oil prices, hit the yard again, as its most important customers were located there. Due to outstanding liabilities the yard closed the year with losses. After overcoming the crisis, ENP established a small site in Lobito, Angola, to build fibreglass boats for local fishing there. At the main site in Peniche the yard has worked with a reduced workforce since the crisis. At the same time only a few orders are known, such as the conversion of the former British salvage ship RMAS Salmaid into the civilian research vessel Mar Portugal. Orders for the construction of electric ferries in Aveiro and in Lisbon could not be won by the yard in 2020. The shipyard is located in the southwest of the city, roughly at the narrowest point of the peninsula, at the address Molhe Leste. The shipyard site covers an area of 80,000 square metres. Of this, 12,000 square metres are covered area, where ships with a length of up to 60 metres or 700 tonnes can be accommodated. The five halls are each designed for steelwork, for fitting work, for painting work, as storage halls and one hall for work with glass fibre-reinforced plastic. Ships are slipped via two slipways, the larger of which is designed for ships with a maximum length of 140 metres and a width of 20 metres. There is also a gantry crane there. The outdoor area is complemented by a pier 350 metres long, where repair work takes place and ships up to 150 metres can berth. In total the yard can accommodate 20 ships.

• 2020

  Employed 48 people and generated revenue of €1.6 million; failed to win electric ferry orders in Aveiro and Lisbon.

• 2016

  Angolan economic crisis affected the yard; closed the year with losses.

• 2014

  Amal Group and Oxycapital became new majority owners.

• 2013

  Lost its status as the largest privately operated shipyard in Portugal with the establishment of West Sea.

• 2010

  Acquired the troubled Estaleiros Navais Canal shipyard in Madalena, Azores; employed 210 people and generated revenue of €12.5 million.

• 1994

  Probably began operations.

• 1992

  Received the concession for the use of the harbour facilities.

• 1989

  Founded through the merger of several smaller shipyards from Peniche to take over a shipyard site under construction.

One of the larger Portuguese shipyards, historically the largest privately operated yard until 2013, focused on fishing and coastal vessels with a strong export orientation to Africa.

• Fishing vessels (trawlers, cutters) 7.5–34 m

• Passenger ships 12–40 m (small passenger boats, water taxis, Rabelo-type tour boats, ferries)

• Pilot boats, police and rescue vessels, military patrol boats, workboats

• Small RoRo and RoPax ships, tugs, floating docks

1. 1Estaleiros Navais de Peniche - Wikidatawikidata.org
2. 2Estaleiros Navais de Peniche - Wikipedia (German)de.wikipedia.org