Lürssen
Lürssen is a privately owned German shipbuilder specializing in custom superyachts, naval vessels, and other specialized ships.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
Lürssen, also known as Lürssen Werft, is a German shipbuilding group headquartered in Bremen-Vegesack. Founded in 1875 by Friedrich Lürssen, the company began as a small boatbuilding workshop serving fishing and ferry operators before expanding into motorboats, recreational craft, naval vessels, and highly specialized commercial and government ships. It remains controlled by the Lürssen family and operates several shipbuilding locations in northern Germany. The company is best known internationally for its custom-built superyachts. Through the Lürssen Yachts business, it designs and constructs large, individually commissioned motor yachts for private owners and institutions. Its portfolio includes globally recognized vessels such as Octopus, Rising Sun, Dilbar, and Azzam. Azzam, delivered in 2013 at 180 metres, became one of the largest private yachts ever built, while Dilbar was recognized for its exceptionally high gross tonnage. Lürssen’s yacht business competes on engineering capability, confidentiality, customization, scale, and the ability to manage complex projects involving naval architecture, propulsion, interiors, security, and long-term refit services. Lürssen also has a long history in naval shipbuilding. Its military activities have included fast attack craft, corvettes, minehunters, offshore patrol vessels, frigates, intelligence-collection ships, and other government vessels. The company’s Naval Vessels Lürssen division, commonly known as NVL, served as a major platform for naval and defense work, particularly for export customers and the German Navy. Relevant programs have included German Braunschweig-class corvettes, Baden-Württemberg-class frigates through the ARGE F125 consortium, and the Arafura-class offshore patrol vessel program for Australia. The group expanded its industrial footprint through the acquisition of Blohm+Voss in 2016. That transaction strengthened Lürssen’s access to large docks and refit infrastructure and broadened its ability to handle major yachts and naval projects. Blohm+Voss was subsequently repositioned around naval and yacht work, with a reduction in some other activities and workforce announced in 2021. Lürssen has also faced operational and program-management challenges. A major fire at the company’s Fähr-Lobbendorf facility in Bremen in 2018 damaged the yacht Sassi and caused extensive losses. In naval procurement, the company and ThyssenKrupp were excluded from the German government’s MKS 180 tender in 2018. The Class 424 intelligence-collection ship program later attracted criticism from Germany’s Federal Court of Audit over contract structure, specification, and rising projected costs. Lürssen’s business remains centered on high-value, technically complex vessels rather than standardized mass production. In 2025, its Australian operation was reported as having been sold to Civmec. The supplied reference material also states that NVL was announced for sale to Rheinmetall in September 2025; that transaction should be treated as requiring verification because its completion and final structure are not established in the available material.
History
Lürssen was established on 27 June 1875, when 24-year-old Friedrich Lürssen opened a boatbuilding workshop in Aumund, then a suburb of Bremen. The early business concentrated on practical workboats for fishing and ferry operations. Its first recorded hull was a five-metre rowing boat. During the 1880s, the company entered the sport-boat market, and Lürssen later claimed to have built the world’s first motorboat in 1886. The company’s evolution from a regional boatbuilder into an internationally recognized shipbuilding group was driven by its ability to combine small-craft expertise with increasingly sophisticated design and production methods. In the twentieth century, Lürssen became involved in naval construction, including fast attack craft and other military vessels. During the Second World War it built E-boats and R-boats. Its naval work continued after the war through a broad range of programs for Germany and foreign customers, including patrol craft, missile boats, corvettes, minehunters, and offshore patrol vessels. Lürssen developed a particularly strong reputation for fast, technically advanced naval craft. Historical designs and production lines included Jaguar-, Seeadler-, Zobel-, Intrépida-, and Tiger-class fast attack craft, as well as Frankenthal-class minehunters and Kılıç-class vessels for Turkey. The company also built or participated in programs for customers such as Brunei and other international naval services. Alongside defense work, Lürssen expanded into high-end civilian vessels. Its yacht business became one of the world’s most prominent builders of large custom superyachts. Rather than focusing on a standardized catalogue, Lürssen generally works with owners, designers, naval architects, and specialist contractors to deliver one-off or highly customized vessels. This model has produced yachts including Octopus, Rising Sun, Dilbar, and Azzam, helping establish the Lürssen name as a benchmark in the superyacht sector. A significant corporate development came in 2016, when Lürssen acquired Blohm+Voss through a long-term partnership. The deal added major Hamburg facilities and strengthened the group’s position in large-vessel construction, yacht refit, and naval work. Blohm+Voss was later reorganized around those core activities. In September 2021, Peter Lürssen announced reductions affecting more than 100 of approximately 580 employees and described plans to reduce or review activities, including ending cruise-ship renewal work in Hamburg and focusing the site on naval vessels and yachts. Lürssen’s industrial history has also included setbacks. On 14 September 2018, a fire broke out in a floating dock at Fähr-Lobbendorf while the yacht Sassi was under construction. The event required a large emergency response and caused severe damage. The reference material estimates the loss at more than €610 million, although that figure should be checked against a primary or contemporary financial source before being used as a definitive company loss figure. In German naval procurement, Lürssen participated in major consortiums and programs. It was involved in the construction of Braunschweig-class corvettes from 2004 and joined the ARGE F125 consortium for Baden-Württemberg-class frigates from 2011. In 2018, the German government excluded the ThyssenKrupp-Lürssen consortium from the MKS 180 tender. Lürssen later became the main contractor for the Class 424 signals-intelligence ship program. The German Federal Court of Audit criticized the structure of that procurement, arguing that important construction details had not been sufficiently settled before contract award. Reported projected costs rose from approximately €2.1 billion to €3.3 billion by 2023. Lürssen also became the general contractor for Australia’s Arafura-class offshore patrol vessel program. The original plan called for twelve vessels, later reduced to six. The first two were to be constructed in Adelaide by ASC, with the remaining vessels assigned to Civmec in Western Australia. The program involved Lürssen in design, construction management, and overall manufacturing coordination. The first vessel entered service in 2025 according to the supplied material. In 2025, Lürssen’s Australian operation was reported as sold to Civmec. The supplied material also reports an announcement that Rheinmetall would acquire NVL. Because the latter event is dated September 2025 and transaction completion is not documented in the available reference, the ownership status of NVL should be independently verified. Lürssen’s enduring identity remains that of a family-controlled German builder serving two demanding niches: bespoke large yachts and technically complex naval or special-purpose vessels.
- 2025
Australian operation reported sold to Civmec
[1]The supplied reference material reports that Lürssen’s Australian operation was sold to Civmec.
- 2023
Class 424 cost concerns
[1]Reported projected costs for the Class 424 program increased substantially, prompting further scrutiny from Germany’s Federal Court of Audit.
- 2021
Class 424 contract and Blohm+Voss restructuring
[1]Lürssen became main contractor for Germany’s Class 424 signals-intelligence ships, while Blohm+Voss announced workforce and activity reductions.
- 2018
Fähr-Lobbendorf shipyard fire
[1]A fire in a floating dock damaged the yacht Sassi and caused major disruption at the Bremen facility.
- 2017
Australian offshore patrol vessel contract
[1]Lürssen was awarded the Australian offshore patrol vessel contract, initially covering twelve Arafura-class vessels.
- 2016
Blohm+Voss acquisition
[1]Lürssen acquired Blohm+Voss through a long-term partnership, strengthening its German dockyard and refit network.
- 2013
Azzam is launched
[1]Lürssen launched Azzam, an approximately 180-metre private yacht and one of the largest superyachts ever built.
- 1910
Expansion into naval and specialized craft
[1]The company developed from a local workboat builder into a producer of increasingly specialized fast and military vessels. A precise milestone year is not established in the available material.
- 1886
Early motorboat development
[1]Lürssen claimed to have built the world’s first motorboat, marking its early move from traditional boatbuilding toward powered craft.
- 1875
Friedrich Lürssen establishes the boatbuilding workshop
[1]Friedrich Lürssen founded the business on 27 June in Aumund near Bremen, initially producing workboats for fishing and ferry operations.
Products and positioning
A premium, engineering-led German shipbuilder positioned around bespoke superyachts, complex naval platforms, and specialized vessel construction. In yachts, Lürssen emphasizes scale, customization, discretion, and technical integration; in defense, it emphasizes design, systems integration, project management, and export-oriented naval platforms.
Yachts
Custom superyachts
Lürssen’s signature civilian product is the large custom superyacht. Projects are developed around individual owner requirements and may combine bespoke naval architecture, long-range propulsion, luxury accommodation, security systems, pools, tenders, and highly specialized entertainment or research facilities. The company is associated with some of the world’s largest and most technically complex privately commissioned yachts.
Superyacht · 2013
Azzam
Azzam is a Lürssen-built private yacht launched in 2013. At approximately 180 metres, it became one of the longest private yachts in the world. Its scale illustrates Lürssen’s ability to manage very large custom yacht projects involving extensive engineering, high-speed performance requirements, luxury interiors, and complex systems integration.
Superyacht · 2016
Dilbar
Dilbar is a Lürssen-built superyacht noted for its exceptionally large volume. It was described as the world’s highest-volume superyacht in 2016 and is an example of the group’s strength in very large displacement yacht construction.
Special-purpose yacht
Octopus
Octopus is a large Lürssen-built yacht commissioned for Paul Allen. Its association with exploration, research, and extensive onboard capabilities reflects the company’s ability to build yachts that extend beyond conventional leisure use.
Superyacht
Rising Sun
Rising Sun is a Lürssen-built superyacht associated with David Geffen. It represents the company’s work for high-net-worth owners seeking very large, individually designed yachts.
Naval vessel · 2018
Arafura-class offshore patrol vessels
The Arafura class is an Australian offshore patrol vessel program for which Lürssen served as designer and general contractor. The original requirement for twelve vessels was later reduced to six. Construction involved ASC in Adelaide for the first vessels and Civmec in Western Australia for later units.
Naval vessel · 2004
Braunschweig-class corvettes
Lürssen has participated in the construction of Germany’s Braunschweig-class corvettes since 2004. The class is designed for littoral and maritime security missions and forms part of the company’s continuing German naval portfolio.
Naval vessel · 2011
Baden-Württemberg-class frigates
Lürssen has been involved in the ARGE F125 consortium responsible for designing and building the Baden-Württemberg-class frigates since 2011. The program illustrates Lürssen’s role in large German naval platforms delivered through industrial partnerships.
Specialized naval vessel · 2021
Class 424 intelligence-collection ships
Class 424 comprises three planned German naval auxiliary ships intended to replace the Oste-class signals-intelligence vessels. Lürssen was commissioned as main contractor in 2021, with delivery and cost assumptions later attracting scrutiny from Germany’s Federal Court of Audit.
Controversies
2021
Class 424 procurement criticism
Germany’s Federal Court of Audit raised significant concerns about the structure of the Class 424 contract, including the extent to which vessel details had been settled before award and the risk of additional expenditure. The issue concerned public procurement and program governance rather than an established finding of criminal misconduct by Lürssen.
2018
Fähr-Lobbendorf shipyard fire
A major fire in a floating dock at Lürssen’s Bremen-Fähr-Lobbendorf facility damaged the yacht Sassi and caused extensive property and project losses. The available material does not establish intentional wrongdoing or a regulatory finding against the company.
Brand decisions
2025
Reported sale of the Australian operationM&ABackground
The supplied reference material reports a change in ownership of Lürssen’s Australian operation.
Action taken
The Australian operation was reported as sold to Civmec.
Aftermath
The available material does not provide transaction terms or sufficient detail on the continuing relationship between Lürssen and the Australian patrol vessel program.
2021
Refocus Blohm+Voss on yachts and naval vesselsStrategyBackground
Blohm+Voss faced a need to narrow its activities and align its facilities with Lürssen’s strongest business areas.
Action taken
Management announced workforce reductions, a review of dock usage, and the discontinuation of certain cruise-ship, tanker, and container-ship activities in Hamburg.
Aftermath
Blohm+Voss was positioned primarily around naval vessels and yachts, while some departments and activities were reduced or dissolved.
2021
Develop the Class 424 signals-intelligence shipsOtherBackground
The German Navy required replacements for its Oste-class signals-intelligence vessels.
Action taken
Lürssen was commissioned as main contractor to develop three ships and associated reconnaissance infrastructure.
Aftermath
The program was criticized over contract structure and subsequently reported to have substantially higher projected costs.
Reported projected program cost. €2.1 billion → €3.3 billion (2023)
2017
Take responsibility for Australia’s offshore patrol vessel programProduct launchBackground
Australia selected Lürssen for a major program to replace the Royal Australian Navy’s Armidale-class patrol vessels.
Action taken
Lürssen became general contractor and took responsibility for design, construction management, and overall manufacturing coordination.
Aftermath
The planned fleet was later reduced from twelve to six vessels, with construction distributed among Australian shipyards.
Reported contract value. A$2.6 billion (2017)
2016
Acquire Blohm+VossM&ABackground
Lürssen sought to expand its dockyard capacity and strengthen its position in large yachts, naval construction, and refit services.
Action taken
The group acquired Blohm+Voss through a long-term partnership.
Aftermath
The transaction expanded Lürssen’s presence in Hamburg and added facilities suited to major vessel projects.
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