Dhe shipyard in Wismar, one of the most traditional shipbuilding locations in Germany, once again has long-term prospects. Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) is taking over the site of the insolvent MV Werften and will be building submarines there from 2024. The fact that a milestone has been reached in the insolvency proceedings is shown by the fact that the workforce got to see several prominent faces at an information event on Friday: in addition to insolvency administrator Christoph Morgen, the Minister for Economic Affairs and the Mayor were also present, representatives of the works council and union and, above all, the boss of ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems, Oliver Burkhard.
“We are coming to Wismar to give Marine Systems, but also the location and the people, a real perspective,” promised Burkhard.
However, it is not yet certain how many jobs TKMS will create. Much now depends on how quickly and to what extent the federal government orders more submarines from the Kiel-based company, Burkhard clarified: “The more orders, the more jobs.” by 2024, up to 800 jobs could be created at TKMS. However, the number of employees in Wismar could increase to 1,500 if there were orders in the surface area. Specifically, the working group of German shipyards is waiting for another lot for the construction of several K130 model corvettes, which could lead to a certain industrialization of the hitherto very manual production of the combat ship.
Securing jobs
Reinhard Meyer, Economics Minister of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, is certain that the skills are there: “The employees have successfully proven that they can build ships and master complex challenges.” There is now an opportunity to keep as many jobs as possible in the maritime industry , according to Meyer. The transfer company also serves this purpose, in which the last 1500 employees of the MV shipyards are further qualified and also trained for applications, whereby the hope on the Baltic Sea is that people will not leave the maritime sector.
That is why the state parliament in Schwerin cleared the way in a special session on Thursday to extend the transfer company, which was previously limited to June, by a further four months. 10.3 million euros from the MV protection fund are to be used for this. “We want to prevent unemployment and emigration,” emphasized Daniel Friedrich, district manager of IG Metall Coast. Cornerstones for building up employment have already been agreed with TKMS. The first offers are therefore planned for designers and a site team. Training is also secured. IG Metall also wants to take care of other civilian projects together with TKMS, such as a platform for ammunition recovery in the North Sea and Baltic Sea to protect the seas.
Sale of the “Global One”
“I am aware that there is a long way to go before the shipyard restarts,” said insolvency administrator Christoph Morgen: “That’s why I will do everything I can to organize the transition and secure employment for as many employees as possible.” At the moment, the shipyard still has that to do Cruise ship Global One, which has been shown many times with its colorful livery since the MV shipyards filed for bankruptcy in January. The 342 meter long ship was intended for the former MV owner Genting, who wanted to use it as a floating casino in Asia and provided for an occupancy of more than 9000 people.
The ship is three quarters complete, which is why Morgen had hoped to find other tourism companies as buyers and to be able to finish building it in Wismar beforehand. In fact, there have already been very concrete negotiations with the Swedish shipping company Stena, including financing with the help of the Economic Stabilization Fund. However, Stena jumped off because the prospects for the cruise industry have clouded over again. If no other buyer is found, the ship would have to be sold as scrap. Some of the employees could also be used for the associated dismantling.
Satisfactory purchase price
The insolvency administrator said it had been agreed not to disclose the purchase price for the Wismar shipyard. However, he expressly said that he had “achieved the best result for the insolvency creditors”. More positive news is emerging for them. Christoph Morgen is in advanced talks with the Bundeswehr for the shipyard in Rostock-Warnemünde, the only MV Werften location for which there is no agreement yet. The naval arsenal of the German armed forces could be built there, which is responsible for ensuring the operational readiness of the navy. Around 500 people could be involved there with repairs and maintenance work for ships.
