Shipyard De Hoop from Tolkamer in Gelderland is bankrupt. The court declared bankruptcy this week. The yard had been located in the village since 1889.
The inhabitants of Tolkamer are moved by the news. Many generations have worked in the past 130 years, writes Broadcasting Gelderland. “I’m very sorry, especially for the staff, especially in this time now. Really very sad,” says a man who comes to the construction site on his bike.
De Hoop employed 97 people, all of whom lost their jobs. The employees were informed yesterday, the company said.
Siren of the yard
“What do people want here now?” asks a resident. “Now they have to apply for benefits, they are not waiting for it either.” Another, who has worked at the yard for 48 years, tells the regional broadcaster: “It hurts, it really does. I have always enjoyed working there. But yes, it is no different.”
What the residents of Tolkamer will also miss is the siren from the yard, which announced the start and end of the working day and the lunch break for the staff, which could be heard throughout the village. “Five to seven thirty, seven thirty, five to twelve, twelve o’clock and a quarter past four”, says the man who has worked there for almost half a century.
The shipyard could no longer keep its head above water, partly due to the pandemic. “De Hoop has been hit very hard by the corona crisis,” says Patrick Janssens, the owner of the yard. “This is mainly due to the fact that just before the crisis we were busy building cruise ships, and that sector was hit very hard.”
Janssens does not yet know whether there will be a restart. He wants to settle the current affairs first. “At the moment there is really very little concrete to say about it. We also do not want to arouse false hopes, nor do people sit around waiting for something that will not come.”
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