‘We are back’ Greek shipyards say after decades of pain

The sound of hammer blows and welding drifted from the Skaramangas Shipyard near Athens last month as workers repaired the bow of a large tanker, while other vessels waited to be fixed in a dry dock nearby.

The activity marks a major turnaround for the shipyard: a year ago, following decades of on-off government ownership, it sat empty, an emblem of the lingering impact of Greece’s devastating 2009-2018 debt crisis.