Throughout the 1970s, European records for vessel launches and deliveries came one after the other in rapid succession. This peak period was also reflected on the Stock Exchange where Kockums shares were enjoying a top rating. It was at this time that Kockums decided to invest in the world's largest gantry crane with a lifting capacity of 1500 tonnes.
In 1973, when the shipyard was boasting the world's largest volume of orders, the oil crisis hit with full force. This result of this was that not a single order was received the following year.
This was to be the start of Kockums' decline and later its fall. The year after, a new 45,000 sq metre hall stood ready for use and stock production backed by government securities began. This was to be a road strewn with lay-offs and demonstrations, which ended in 1979 when the Swedish government, through Svenska Varv, took over Kockums.
It was the end of an epoch and the start of a new era for the shipyard. During this period, only a minimal amount of work was carried out on filling in some of the western part of the port and on an adjacent bank.
