Blohm News

Americraft Marine, one of the maritime subsidiaries of Libra Group that owns and operates a Jones Act shipbuilding facility in Palatka, Fla., has announced the appointment of Peter Fetten as Chairman of Americraft.A seasoned leader with four decades in the marine engineering and shipbuilding sectors, Fetten will help shape the strategic direction of Americraft Marine as it works to advance U.S. shipbuilding and the demand for Jones Act vessels. Americraft Marine's St. Johns Ship Building…

Damen Naval and project partner NVL Group held a steel cutting ceremony at the Peene shipyard in Wolgast, Germany for the first new multipurpose frigates for the German Navy.“We are proud to be able to start cutting steel entirely on schedule on December 5. We were able to complete the development phase in record time, something that is partly due to the excellent cooperation with BAAINBW, the Navy and the other German authorities,” said Damen Shipyards Group CEO Arnout Damen.

A luxury yacht linked to Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov, who faces EU sanctions over Russia's invasion of Ukraine, is sitting in a shipyard in the German port of Hamburg and local authorities said there were no plans to deliver it to its owner.Hamburg authorities denied that they had seized the more-than-500-foot (150 meter) Dilbar superyacht, which boasts a 25-meter swimming pool and is worth nearly $600 million. Forbes had reported on Wednesday that it had been undergoing…

Rolls-Royce's Power Systems business unit, headquartered in Friedrichshafen, Germany, will deliver the automation solutions (in German FüSAS – Führungssystem Automation Schiffstechnik) for the four new F126 frigates for the German Navy.Damen Naval is building the four F126 class frigates together with its partners Blohm+Voss and Thales, after the partners were selected as successful bidders in 2020 following a European tender process spanning several years. The first ship is expected to be delivered to the German Navy in Hamburg in 2028.

The U.S. Coast's training barque is gearing up to begin summer training for more than 130 Coast Guard Academy cadets.At 295 feet in length, the Coast Guard Cutter Eagle, known as “America’s Tall Ship,” is the largest tall ship flying the U.S. flag and the only active square-rigger in U.S. government service.Scheduled to depart New London, Conn. on Saturday, May 8, Eagle will resume foreign port calls for the first time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.“We are extremely excited to be getting back underway for a full summer training season,” said Capt.

Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft (FSG) has a new Head of Engineering as of March 1, 2021, when Volker Hesse takes over the job. Hesse (47) is a mechanical engineer who began his career around 20 years ago at Blohm & Voss shipyard in Hamburg. Since then, he has held various positions in project management up to and including Head of Product Management at thyssenkrupp Marine Systems’ surface vessel unit. Since 2018, Hesse has been involved in the development and orientation of a consulting company as co-founder and managing partner.

Damen Shipyards Group and the German Bundesamt fur Ausrüstung, Informationstechnik und Nutzung der Bundeswehr on Friday signed the contract for the construction of four MKS-180 frigates for the German Navy. Damen is the main contractor for this complex project which it is undertaking, together with partners Blohm+Voss and Thales, in Germany.The combination of companies was previously declared the winner of a European tender; the largest in the history of the German Navy. On June 17, the necessary financial resources were released by the German Bundestag budget committee.

“Stay at home” is the global message of the moment. The fleet of the Hamburg-based cruise company Hapag-Lloyd Cruises, which would normally be sailing the seven seas, is now heading for the waters of its home port. The expedition ship, the HANSEATIC nature, will be the first to return and is expected to arrive in Hamburg, Germany, on April 20. Its sister ship, the international HANSEATIC inspiration, and the two luxury ships, the EUROPA and the international EUROPA 2, are also now on their way back to Hamburg.

Dr. Dirk Jürgens heads R&D at Voith Turbo Marine, a part of the family owned Voith conglomerate which employs more than 19,000 people in 60 countries. Voith Rudderpropellers were chosen as the propulsion system for the three new Staten Island Ferry vessels, and Dr. Jürgens discusses the evolution of the system.The ‘Voith’ name is a well-known one in the maritime industry, but to start please provide an overview of the product and service you offer to the maritime industry.The…

Germany has awarded Dutch shipyard Damen a contract to construct at least four new multi-role warships worth nearly 6 billion euros ($6.7 billion) in an alliance with its Bremen-based partner Luerssen, the armed forces and budget lawmakers said on Tuesday.The ship tender is one of Germany's biggest arms projects, along with a contract for the MEADS missile defence system and the new Franco-German fighter jet (FCAS), underlining Berlin's efforts to increase its military capabilities.The first warship is expected to be delivered in 2027…

The Italian luxury yacht builder Cantiere delle Marche (CdM) announced the sale of DEEP BLUE 43 a new, fully custom 43-metre explorer yacht designed by Horacio Bozzo Design.DEEP BLUE 43 is the latest addition to the yard’s significantly active Order Book. The contract has been signed last December and the latest project’s details have been defined in these last few weeks. The yacht is already under construction with delivery due in 2021.DEEP BLUE 43 has been commissioned by an experienced Owner who, in the past years, owned yachts built by shipyards such as Feadship, Lürssen, Blohm and Voss. He is a repeated client for CdM, a yard which…

The long-established Hamburg company NOSKE-KAESER Maritime Solutions will be turning 140 years old.Managing director Jürgen Matthes is delighted about the jubilee: “This is a very special anniversary for us. The company has had its ups and downs over the decades, but with outstanding products, loyal employees and a loyal customer and supplier base, ultimately it appears that success can be achieved even in uncertain times.” Following the acquisition by ENGIE Axima, which is part of the French ENGIE energy group, NOSKE-KAESER has been back in safe waters since December 2017.

In many cities where industrial activity is pushed to the fringe, Blohm + Voss on the Elbe is an iconic sybmol in the port city of Hamburg, a shipyard steeped in tradition but fully modernized to handle some of the most complex and high-value ship repair jobs in the world: a developed, ultramodern infrastructure and 421,000 sq. m. of yard.Blohm & Voss has seen it share of market cycles, and following the current long shipping crisis due to low charter rates, the repair backlog…

Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems and German Naval Yards Kiel (GNYK) have teamed up in the ongoing bidding process for a contract worth several billions of euros to build a new multipurpose warship for Germany, Thyssenkrupp said.The company, responding to a Reuters query, said that GNYK is participating as general contractor in the auction and that Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems would act as subcontractor if their bid is successful.RedaktionsNetzwerk Deutschland (RND), a group representing German newspapers, first reported that both shipbuilders had joined forces.The tender is for Germany's new MKS 180 warship, which is one of the German military's largest armament initiatives and designed to combat targets in the air…

Maritime industry veteran Peter Fetten will take over as President & CEO of German shipbuilder MV WERFTEN as of May 1, 2018. Jarmo Laakso will remain as Managing Director and step into the position of COO to focus on cruise shipbuilding.Fetten was previously the Senior Vice President of Corporate Ship Refits at Carnival Corporation & PLC for the past nine years. He was also Vice President Newbuilding and Fleet Design of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. for eight years and held several executive positions during his 16 years at Blohm+Voss Shipyard.

Norwegian shipbuilder Kleven said it has signed a contract with German based luxury yacht designer and builder Lürssen to collaborate for the delivery of a 100-meter-long exploration vessel newbuild for a non-disclosed customer. Kleven said the vessel will be built, partly outfitted and technically finalized at Kleven Verft in Norway, before final outfitting at Lürssen’s Blohm+Voss facility in Hamburg, Germany. The Lürssen Group recently joined a group of investors to collectively inject nearly $40 million into Norwegian shipyard.

Stephan Aumann has been appointed by ASYAD (formerly Oman Global Logistic Group) board of directors as the new CEO of the Oman Drydock Company S.A.O.C. in Duqm/Oman. Aumann assumed the role June 15 and replaced the former CEO Jin Han Lee (DSME), who advised at the end of 2016 that he would be stepping down. With a bachelor's degree in naval architecture and a master degree in industrial engineering from the University of Applied Sciences in Kiel/Germany, the 50-year-old German…

German Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen has decided to buy six MKS-180 multi-role warships instead of putting off a decision on two of those ships until 2030, her spokesman said on Monday. The ministry decided last October to delay a tender for four warships, which was valued at 4 billion euros ($4.24 billion), to ensure that quality standards were met. A decision on two extra warships had initially been planned in 2030. "The need is there. Now the minister has decided to buy all six of the required MKS-180 ships," the spokesman said, without providing a new cost estimate for the programme. The new ships, to be delivered from 2023, will be used for attacking targets on land and underwater, as well as providing aerial protection to other vessels.

Germany's Defence Ministry has decided to buy a total of six MKS-180 multi-role warships instead of four, as initially planned, a ministry spokesman said Monday, without providing a new cost estimate for the program. The ministry decided last October to delay a tender for four warships that was valued at 4 billion euros ($4.24 billion), to ensure that quality standards were met. A decision on the two extra warships had not been planned until 2030. The new ships, to be delivered from 2023, will be used for attacking targets on land and underwater, as well as providing aerial protection to other vessels. The three remaining teams bidding to build the new warships are Bremen-based privately owned shipyard Luerssen and Thyssen Krupp Marine Systems…

The German Defence Ministry on Thursday said it would skip an open tender for the planned purchase of five more corvettes valued at 1.5 billion euros and instead ask the three-company consortium that built the existing warships to submit a bid. "The defence ministry has decided to ask the ARGE K130 consortium to bid for procurement of five additional, nearly identical ships," a ministry spokesman said. German lawmakers have criticised the ministry's plans to skip a competition, saying it violated basic procurement principles mapped out by Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen.

The German Fair Trade Commission has approved the acquisition of Hamburg shipyard Blohm+Voss GmbH by the Bremen-based, family-owned company Luerssen Maritime Beteiligungen GmbH & Co. KG, a specialty designer, manufacturer and repairer of yachts over 60 meters and military ships. The purchase agreement was signed at the end of September 2016, and now, following the official approval, formal ownership will be transferred from the previous owner, the Funds of the British private equity investor Star Capital Partners.

A tender worth around 4 billion euros ($4.5 billion) for four warships for the German navy has been delayed by around six months to ensure quality standards are met, according to a copy of a defence ministry letter seen by Reuters on Tuesday. The new MKS 180 multi-role combat ships are expected to be delivered from 2023. They are intended to be capable of attacking targets on land and underwater and providing aerial protection to other vessels. In the letter to the German parliament's budget committee, Deputy Defence Minister Markus Gruebel said it would take longer to conclude the agreement with bidders than it took with previous procurement projects due to higher quality standards.

Family owned and Bremen based shipyard, Luerssen acquired storied shipyard Blohm+Voss in Hamburg, the company announced on Wednesday, September 28, 2016. With the acquisition of Blohm+Voss, Luerssen said it is entering into a long-term relationship to strengthen its portfolio in the repair and refit activities for yachts, naval and commercial ships as well as enhancing its naval new build activities within their corporation. The contract between Luerssen and the funds of British private equity investor…