German shipbuilder Luerssen is taking over the Hamburg-based former ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems subsidiary Blohm+Voss, Luerssen announced on September 28.
The two companies agreed that the price Luersen had to pay for the takeover would not be disclosed.
With this acquisition, Luersen wants to round off its repair and refit capabilities but also to use the experience and know-how of Blohm+Voss workers in the field of complex naval shipbuilding.
Blohm+Voss is the proprietor of the MEKO design family of warships in service with a number of world’s navies. MEKO stands for “Mehrzweck-Kombination” which translates to multi-purpose-combination.
Lürssen and Blohm+Voss have a history of cooperation on naval projects and have worked together on the lead ship of the German Navy’s newest and largest class of frigates, the F 125.
Luerssen said the contract, signed with Star Capital Partners, the British private equity investor who bought Blohm+Voss from ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems in 2011, was subject to approval from the German Fair Trade Commission (Bundeskartellamt).
Pending approval from the commission, Luerssen said it would combine six specialised shipyards with approximately 2800 employees in Northern Germany.
“Based on the long-term and trusted cooperation on all levels between the two shipyards – we are currently working together on the construction of the new German Navy Frigate Type F125 – we are confident that we already have a good basis on which to continue this relationship and to move forwards with the companies under one roof,” said Dr. Klaus Borgschulte , Technical Director at Luerssen Werft GmbH & Co. KG.
Blohm+Voss CEO Fred van Beers said: “With Luerssen we are gaining a long-term strategic owner who wants to jointly develop our company and expand our core business services.”