The private shipyard company Pymar held its general shareholders' meeting this Tuesday in a gathering that brought together representatives from the Spanish naval industry and various Public Administrations, including the Minister of Industry and Tourism, Jordi Hereu.
The head of Industry pointed out that the Spanish naval sector is "an example of how a commitment to innovation, specialization, and added value strengthens the industrial base of Spain and Europe." He also emphasized that in this area, there is a "very active public policy and exemplary public-private collaboration."
Hereu also indicated that the naval industry faces challenges such as the transition towards sustainability and decarbonization; the digitalization of production processes; the increase in activity related to security and defense; and the reinforcement of European strategic autonomy.
During the event, the minister presented the 2025 Pymar Scholarships Awards, a program by the organization that annually offers professional internships in private shipyards to students of the qualifying Master's degree in Naval Engineering, the Bachelor's degree in Naval and Oceanic Engineering, and other engineering degrees.
For her part, the CEO of Pymar, Almudena López del Pozo, highlighted that the sector's transformation process and dynamism are supported by technological innovation, the backing of solid financial instruments, and cooperation between the public and private sectors.
"Preserving our industrial capabilities means preserving our ability to decide. [...] We face a historic opportunity to consolidate a true European naval industrial policy and we have the support to do so," stated López del Pozo.
Economic impact of the Spanish naval sector
Spain closed 2025 with a backlog of 65 vessels valued at over 3 billion euros, orders that represented nearly 16 million working hours for the shipyards.
To these figures, more than 1,000 large naval repair and conversion projects are added, with a turnover that exceeded the average of the last five years by more than 15% and which placed the activity of Spanish shipyards at a 15-year high.
With more than 90% of contracts coming from international orders, shipbuilding has established itself as one of the main export drivers of Spanish industry.
In this context, the sector generated 89,000 direct and indirect jobs and contributed more than 12.7 billion euros to GDP. Thus, Spain remained for the fifth consecutive year as the second power in the European Union in hiring and order book.
According to Pymar, Spanish private shipyards have consolidated themselves as global benchmarks in high value-added niches, such as offshore wind farm support vessels, oceanographic vessels, aquaculture vessels, large fishing vessels, passenger transport vessels, and units for security and defense.