Eriksbergs Mekaniska Verkstad
| Eriksbergs Mekaniska Verkstad AB | |
|---|---|
| legal form | Aktiebolag (AB) |
| founding | 1853 |
| resolution | 1979 |
| Seat |
Gothenburg , Sweden
|
| Branch | Mechanical workshop / shipyard |
The Swedish machine and shipbuilding company Eriksbergs Mekaniska Verkstad AB existed from 1853 to 1979 in Gothenburg.
history
The company was founded in 1853 by Christian Barchman as the Ericsbergs metall och tackjerns-gjuteri foundry . In addition to the foundry, mechanical work and repairs of various types were carried out and soon smaller boats and steam facilities were also built. In 1873 the company delivered the first ship, the steam tug Active, and then turned increasingly to shipbuilding. From 1876 the shipyard operated as Eriksbergs Mekaniska Verkstad AB. In 1915, the Gothenburg shipowner Axel Broström ( Svenska Amerika Linien ) took over the majority stake in the shipyard.
Eriksbergs generated large surpluses in the 1950s and 1960s. Mainly tankers were built, the size of which increased steadily until the 1970s. In 1963 Eriksbergs took over a 50% stake in Uddevallavarvet from the creditor banks and in 1970 the Lindholmens Verkstad shipyard and built new shipyards for Lisnave and Setenave in Portugal, which supplied large forecastle sections. The participation in Uddevallavarvet was given back to the Swedish state in 1971. In 1973 the Eriksbergs gave their repair business to Götaverken and became a pure new build shipyard. The following year 1974 was a record year in which ships 821,840 tons of deadweight were delivered. The increasingly difficult shipbuilding financing, increasing competition from Japanese shipyards and the collapse in demand in the tanker segment after the 1973 oil crisis led to the Swedish state taking over the majority of Götaverken in 1976 and Eriksbergs Mekaniska Verkstad initially becoming a subsidiary of Götaverken. At the end of the 1970s, Eriksbergs was first incorporated into the state shipbuilding group Svenska Varv in the course of the shipbuilding crisis and the shipyard finally closed in the spring of 1979. In total, more than 600 ships were built at the shipyard in 126 years of operation.