Marinearsenal Warnowwerft

Marinearsenal Warnowwerft is a shipyard site in Rostock-Warnemünde, Germany, that operates as an outstation (Außenstelle) of the Wilhelmshaven Marinearsenal, the naval arsenal of the German Navy (Deutsche Marine). The site has a long industrial history: the Warnowwerft Warnemünde was founded in 1946 and, after German reunification, passed through a succession of private owners following privatization in 1990. In 2022 the German federal government (Bund) took over the yard for the Deutsche Marine, and it currently offers around 500 jobs. Immediately adjacent to the Marinearsenal facilities is the private Neptun Werft. The yard's modern history is a sequence of ownership changes and rebrandings. In 1990 the VEB Warnowwerft Warnemünde was converted into Warnowwerft Warnemünde GmbH, a subsidiary of Deutsche Maschinen- und Schiffbau AG in Rostock and wholly owned by the Treuhandanstalt. In 1992 the Treuhand sold the yard to the Norwegian Kværner ASA, and it became Kvaerner Warnow Werft GmbH. Kværner invested nearly 400 million US dollars in modernization between 1993 and 1995 while receiving substantial subsidies for restructuring. The yard built container ships, including the WARNOW CV 2600 type, and in 2000 delivered the P&O Nedlloyd Tasman, then the largest container ship built in Germany. In 2001 it delivered the drilling platform Stena Don, its 400th newbuilding since 1946. From 2002 the yard was integrated into the Aker group as Aker Warnow Werft GmbH, later reorganized as Aker Warnemünde Operations GmbH, with work split between Warnemünde and Wismar. In 2008 Aker Yards sold a 70 percent stake to the Russian financial investor FLC West, and the yards were rebranded Wadan Yards. The German parts of Wadan Yards, including Wadan Yards Warnow GmbH, filed for insolvency on 5 June 2009. In August 2009 Vitaly Yusufov, through his newly created Nordic Yards, acquired the assets of the German Wadan companies for about 40.5 million euros, and the yard operated as Nordic Yards Warnemünde. In March 2016 the Malaysian-Chinese shipping company Genting Hong Kong bought Nordic Yards for 230.6 million euros, with the Warnemünde yard valued at 90.8 million euros. The yard was placed under the MV Werften group, and Genting decided to build its two new Global-class cruise ships there, investing in new halls between 2017 and 2019. Construction of the first ship began in March 2018. On 20 March 2020 production was suspended and the yard temporarily closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany, amid reports that MV Werften was struggling to pay bills and had sought liquidity assistance from KfW. The federal government ultimately took over the site in 2022 for the German Navy, and it now serves as the Marinearsenal Warnowwerft.

The Warnowwerft Warnemünde was founded in 1946. After German reunification, on 1 June 1990 the VEB Warnowwerft Warnemünde was converted into a capital company, Warnowwerft Warnemünde GmbH, a subsidiary of Deutsche Maschinen- und Schiffbau AG in Rostock and wholly owned by the Treuhandanstalt. On 1 October 1992 the Treuhandanstalt sold the yard to the Norwegian Kværner ASA, and the company name was changed to Kvaerner Warnow Werft GmbH. Between 1993 and 1995 the Kværner group invested nearly 400 million US dollars to modernize the yard, while receiving one billion Deutsche Mark in subsidies for restructuring between 1992 and 1995. On 30 June 1995 the last conventional slipway launch took place, for which the Warnow was completely closed to ship traffic in the area of the cable crane system. On 1 August 1995 the keel was laid for the first container ship of the WARNOW CV 2600 type in the newly completed building dock; the customer was Deutsche Seereederei GmbH, as it had been forty years earlier. On 13 January 2000 the yard delivered the P&O Nedlloyd Tasman, the largest container ship built in Germany up to that time. In 2001 it delivered the drilling platform Stena Don, the 400th newbuilding since the yard's founding in 1946. In September 2001 the Norwegian parent Kværner ASA announced it had run into financial difficulties through the takeover of the British engineering firm Trafalgar House, and new investors were sought. On 4 February 2002 Kværner ASA and Aker RGI (a Norwegian conglomerate around billionaire Kjell Inge Røkke) announced they would merge their shipbuilding activities worldwide, creating Aker Kvaerner Yards AS. In mid-2003 Aker RGI took over all shares in Kvaerner. After the integration of the Kværner group into the existing Aker Yards group (2002), the former Kvaerner Warnow Werft Rostock GmbH and the Aker MTW Werft cooperated under the name Aker Ostsee, and the Warnowwerft operated as Aker Warnow Werft GmbH. At the beginning of 2004 Aker Yards Ostsee was restructured again and the company in Warnemünde was split: shipbuilding activities in Warnemünde were bundled in Aker Warnemünde Operations GmbH, while Aker Warnemünde Real Estate GmbH handled property management. The yards in Warnemünde and Wismar began a division of labor: fore-ships and deckhouses were built in Warnemünde and towed to Wismar, where aft-ships were built and the sections completed in the building dock. Only at the beginning of 2007 was the economic order situation good enough for complete ships to be built and delivered in Warnemünde again. In 2008 Aker Yards sold a 70 percent stake to the Russian financial investor FLC West. The transaction took effect retroactively to 1 January 2008, and from 22 September the yards operated as Wadan Yards. On 5 June 2009 the German parts of the Wadan Yards Group AS, including Wadan Yards Warnow GmbH in Warnemünde, filed for insolvency. In mid-August 2009 the insolvency administrator presented an investor who also took over the Warnemünde yard: Vitaly Yusufov, head of the Moscow office of Nord Stream and son of former Russian energy minister and Gazprom supervisory board member Igor Yusufov, bought the assets of the German Wadan companies for about 40.5 million euros through the Nordic Yards company he created. After the sale of all assets, the insolvent Wadan Yards was a legal shell through which the Wadan creditors were settled. The yard then operated as Nordic Yards Warnemünde. In March 2016 the Malaysian-Chinese shipping company Genting Hong Kong bought Nordic Yards for a purchase price of 230.6 million euros, with the Warnemünde yard valued at 90.8 million euros. Together with Lloyd Werft Bremerhaven, the yards in Wismar, Warnemünde and Stralsund were to operate under the name "Lloyd Werft Group" and build cruise ships. In July 2016, however, it became known that the Warnemünde yard would instead be integrated into the MV Werften group. The parent company Genting decided to build its two new Global-class cruise ships there. For this purpose, new shipyard halls were built between 2017 and 2019 at a cost of 32.8 million euros. Construction of the first of the two ships began in March 2018. On 20 March 2020 production of current shipbuilding projects was suspended and the yard temporarily closed, justified by restrictions in operations due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany. Norddeutscher Rundfunk reported that the shipyard group had problems paying bills for the second Global-class cruise ship under construction in Warnemünde and the expedition yacht Crystal Endeavor being built in Stralsund; MV Werften had turned to KfW and sought liquidity assistance from the Corona special program. In 2022 the federal government (Bund) took over the yard for the Deutsche Marine, and it became an outstation of the Wilhelmshaven Marinearsenal, offering around 500 jobs. Immediately adjacent to the Marinearsenal facilities is the private Neptun Werft.

• 2022

  Federal government takes over the yard for the Deutsche Marine; becomes Marinearsenal Warnowwerft.

• 2020

  Production suspended and yard temporarily closed due to COVID-19 pandemic.

• 2018

  Construction begins on first Global-class cruise ship.

• 2016

  Genting Hong Kong buys Nordic Yards; yard integrated into MV Werften.

• 2009

  Wadan Yards Warnow GmbH files for insolvency; assets acquired by Nordic Yards.

• 2008

  Aker Yards sells 70% stake to FLC West; yards rebranded Wadan Yards.

• 2004

  Reorganized as Aker Warnemünde Operations GmbH; work split with Wismar.

• 2002

  Kværner ASA and Aker RGI merge shipbuilding activities; yard becomes Aker Warnow Werft GmbH.

• 2001

  Delivery of drilling platform Stena Don, the 400th newbuilding since 1946.

• 2000

  Delivery of P&O Nedlloyd Tasman, then the largest container ship built in Germany.

• 1995

  Last conventional slipway launch; keel laid for first WARNOW CV 2600 container ship.

• 1992

  Treuhandanstalt sells the yard to Kværner ASA; renamed Kvaerner Warnow Werft GmbH.

• 1990

  VEB Warnowwerft Warnemünde converted into Warnowwerft Warnemünde GmbH, owned by Treuhandanstalt.

• 1946

  Warnowwerft Warnemünde founded.

Federal naval arsenal branch providing maintenance and repair for the German Navy, on a historic shipyard site in Rostock-Warnemünde.

• Container ships (WARNOW CV 2600 type)

• P&O Nedlloyd Tasman (container ship)

• Stena Don (drilling platform)

• Global-class cruise ships (under construction)

• Naval ship maintenance and repair services

1. 1Marinearsenal Warnowwerftde.wikipedia.org
2. 2Marinearsenal Warnowwerftwikidata.org
3. 3MV Werften Standort Rostockmv-werften.com