Polish shipyards sale to Qatari fund fizzles

Poland said on Tuesday it had failed to receive payment for two loss-making shipyards by a midnight Monday deadline, potentially scuppering their sale and costing the country's privatisation chief his post.

In July, Poland agreed to sell the Szczecin and Gdynia shipyards to an investor backed by Qatar's QInvest, to help end a long-running dispute with Brussels over state aid granted to the shipyards.

The investor later asked for a delay in payment of some 380 million zlotys ($129 million) until Aug. 17.