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| Zamakona Yards | |
|---|---|
| Name | Zamakona Yards |
| Founded | 1971 |
| Founder | José Zamakona |
| Headquarters | Bilbao, Spain |
| Industry | Shipbuilding, Ship repair, Offshore |
| Products | Shipbuilding, Ship repair, Conversion, Offshore structures |
| Parent | Zamakona Group |
Zamakona Yards Zamakona Yards is a Spanish shipbuilding and ship repair company founded in Bilbao, active across commercial shipbuilding, offshore oil and gas support, and maritime engineering services. The company operates facilities in the Basque Country and has participated in projects linked to major shipowners, classification societys, and multinational offshore contractors. Its work intersects with ports, navies, and industrial conglomerates across Europe, Africa, and the Americas.
Zamakona Yards traces origins to shipbuilding activity in Bilbao during the late 19th and 20th centuries alongside firms like Astilleros Euskalduna and La Naval. The firm expanded during the 1970s industrial restructuring that involved actors such as Altos Hornos de Vizcaya and the SEPI era of Spanish shipyards. During the 1980s and 1990s Zamakona engaged with global companies including Shell, BP, and ExxonMobil for maintenance of offshore platform support vessels and cooperated with Navantia on ancillary projects. In the 2000s Zamakona responded to the rise of offshore wind and deepwater exploration with contracts involving Saipem, Subsea 7, and TechnipFMC. Recent decades saw alliances with shipping groups like Grimaldi Group, Brittany Ferries, and CMA CGM for repair work, and interaction with classification bodies such as Lloyd's Register, Bureau Veritas, and DNV GL.
Primary facilities are located at shipyards tied to historic docks in Bilbao and adjacent industrial zones near Santurtzi and Portugalete, integrated with the Port of Bilbao infrastructure alongside terminals used by Puertos del Estado. The company operates floating docks and dry docks comparable to those at ASD Shipyards and shares logistics corridors with entities like Euskotren and RENFE freight lines. Zamakona has performed project work at European shipyards in Gdańsk, Rotterdam, and Figueira da Foz, and executed on-site conversions at ports including Valencia, A Coruña, and Lisbon. Offshore fabrication has been delivered for yards and platforms in Aberdeen, Stavanger, Houston, and Singapore.
Zamakona Yards provides ship repair, dry-docking, hull conversions, newbuild construction for specialized vessels, and fabrication for offshore platform components. Services include steelwork, piping, outfitting, and electrical systems with compliance to International Maritime Organization conventions and standards from ISO and EN bodies. The company undertakes conversions for LNG carriers, ro-ro ferrys, and PSV platforms, and offers maintenance contracts akin to offerings from firms such as Keppel Corporation and Sembcorp Marine. Zamakona provides technical project management collaborating with ABS, IRS (Indian Register of Shipping), and Registro Italiano Navale classification frameworks and supports retrofits for emissions compliance under IMO 2020 and Ballast Water Management Convention requirements.
Zamakona has executed notable repairs and conversions on vessels chartered by major operators like Maersk, MSC, Hapag-Lloyd, and NYK Line. The yard carried out structural conversions for Stena Line ferries and complex retrofits on vessels linked to TOTALEnergies and Equinor. It has fabricated subsea modules for contractors including Saipem and delivered refurbishment work on research vessels affiliated with institutions like CSIC and collaborations with the European Space Agency for shipborne instrumentation platforms. Emergency repair responses included support for vessels after incidents similar to those involving Costa Concordia and coastwise salvage operations paralleling work with Smit Salvage and Boskalis.
The company is part of the Zamakona Group, which comprises shipbuilding, steel fabrication, and industrial services divisions, integrated with holding structures like those found in family-owned industrial conglomerates alongside entities such as Grupo Empresarial Mondragón and CAF. Board-level interactions have involved executives with prior roles at Euskaltel, Petronor, and regional development agencies like SPRINT and Basque Government industrial offices. Financial arrangements historically referenced Spanish banking groups including BBVA, Santander, and public-private financing models similar to ICO mechanisms for industrial investment.
Zamakona implements safety management systems in line with standards enforced by International Labour Organization guidance and audited by certification bodies such as Bureau Veritas and DNV GL. Quality assurance follows ISO 9001 frameworks, while environmental management aligns with ISO 14001 and energy management with ISO 50001. The yard has adapted processes to meet IMO emissions rules and has participated in decarbonization initiatives alongside EIT RawMaterials and regional programs promoted by the European Commission and Basque Energy Agency. Collaboration with classification societies like Lloyd's Register supports risk assessments and structural integrity verifications.
The firm has received regional industry recognition from institutions such as the Basque Government economic awards and acknowledgments parallel to honors given by Spanish Chamber of Commerce and maritime associations like FEMAR and ANEN. Its projects have been cited in case studies by EIT Manufacturing and featured in trade exhibitions alongside participants like SeaJapan, SMM Hamburg, and Europort. Zamakona’s safety and environmental programs have been showcased in conferences hosted by DNV and CLIA regional forums.
Category:Shipyards of Spain