Galician shipyards win Pemex orders

After months waiting for confirmation of the deal, two struggling Galician shipbuilders were finally awarded contracts to build two floating hotels for state-owned Mexican oil company Pemex.

State-owned Navantia and privately-owned Hijos de J. Barreras, in which Pemex acquired a 51-percent stake last year, secured the contracts in a public tender in joint bids presented with Pemex unit PMI. The hotels, which will provide accommodation for workers on oil rigs, will be built in Ferrol and Vigo, at a total cost each of 407 million dollars (298 million euros). The two Galician shipyards were competing against five Mexican companies.

Galician premier Alberto Núñez Feijóo announced a major investment by Pemex in the region 16 months ago, but the whole process of deciding who would build the floating hotels suffered a series of delays.