Italian company Fincantieri has received an approval from a South Korean court making it the preferred bidder for Saint-Nazaire-based shipbuilder STX France, according to Reuters.
The announcement was made only days after Italy’s shipbuilding and ship designing firm was unveiled as the only bidder for the French yard.
Fincantieri confirmed that it was notified by Samil PricewaterhouseCoopers, advisor appointed by STX Europe, that the company was selected as preferred bidder in the sale of the 66.66 percent stake in STX France.
If completed, the acquisition of STX France, which specializes in building cruise ships, is expected to boost Fincantieri’s position in the cruise segment.
As part of the South Korean STX Offshore and Shipbuilding, the company was put up for sale after the financially troubled conglomerate decided to file for a court-led restructuring in May 2016.
Earlier reports suggested that four parties expressed interest in acquiring the controlling stake in the French shipbuilder.
The French state, which holds a minority stake of 33 percent in the firm, reportedly informed that it would not acquire the majority share, however, it indicated that it would have a say in the selection of the buyer.
World Maritime News Staff