From June 1, 84 workers at the Kimek shipyard in Kirkenes will be out of work, FriFagbevegelse reports on Friday.

A Russian ship could have given them work for another month, but the sanctions put an end to that.

– There are hard ceilings here now, club manager Rainer Ingebrigtsen tells the news site.

According to general manager Greger Mannsverk, that is not true. He says to E24 no one has lost their job yet.

– We have a board meeting on Tuesday next week where the board will make a decision based on government arrangements. I have no idea what is happening now. I have spoken to the senior shop steward and he is also very surprised by this case. It’s a big misunderstanding, says Mannsverk.

On Friday May 12, a press release from the Foreign Ministry said that all work, except emergency repairs, on Russian boats was prohibited.

The Kirkenes shipyard has been hard hit – 70% of its turnover comes from the Russian fishing fleet in the Barents Sea.

If they had been allowed to work on Russian boats and ships, it would have helped the shipyard – at the moment one Russian ship is ashore and one is docked in Kirkens – which Kimek has worked on, but is not no longer allowed to do that.

– We could have had another month of work with these boats. This could buy us time to find somewhat more permanent solutions, Ingebrigtsen points out.

The effect will also be felt in the local community, as it is estimated that around 300 man-years in the local environment depend on the exploitation at Kimek, FriFagbevegelse further writes.