History

The late nineteenth century found Francisco Díaz Fernández already building small boats for inshore fishing.

His son, Francisco Díaz Martínez, began building wooden boats on the beach where the current shipyards are located today. In 1925, Astilleros Gondán, S.A. was founded.

This year marked the start of our building steel-hulled ships. Nearly 100 vessels left the Astilleros Gondán slipways over the next years.

Shipbuilding for domestic owners continued during the very productive period that followed. Then, in 1978, the export trade opened up with the construction of 10 vessels destined for Senegal. Since that time, building vessels for foreign shipowners has become everyday business for the company.

Francisco’s passing in 1995 brought about changes in the company, which began a new phase with the incorporation of the latest technologies in shipbuilding, thus giving the shipyard access to the most demanding international markets.

Fibre production line was incorporated in response to the demand for vessels to be built faster and at a lower cost.

We are celebrating our 100th anniversary! Few companies in the world can boast such a track record.
We have already built nearly 400 ships, hundreds of challenges and thousands of stories since Francisco Díaz Martínez founded Astilleros Gondan SA back in 1925. And we continue to grow, adapting to the needs of a changing world and preparing with enthusiasm for the new challenges that the future holds for us.