German Naval Yards

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German Naval Yards
Company typeGmbH
IndustryShipbuilding
Founded2009
FounderAugust Howaldt and Johann Schweffel
Headquarters
Kiel
,
Germany
ProductsMilitary Vessels, Yachts, Offshore Vessels
ParentCMN Naval
WebsiteGerman Naval Yards
Shipyard in Gaarden
Sailing Yacht A

German Naval Yards Kiel GmbH, also known as German Naval Yards, is a German company at the Kieler Förde owned by the shipbuilding group CMN Naval. The shipyard group also includes Sir Joseph Isherwood Limited and Constructions Mécaniques de Normandie.[1]

History

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Background

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The origins of the present-day company German Naval Yards date back to 1838, when Johann Schweffel and August Ferdinand Howaldt founded the mechanical engineering and foundry company Schweffel & Howaldt in Kiel. Over the decades, this gave rise to the Howaldtswerke shipyards. As part of the consolidation of German shipbuilding, the Howaldtswerke facilities in Kiel and Hamburg merged in 1967 with Deutsche Werft AG to form the company Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft AG (HDW).[2][3]

In 2005, surface shipbuilding was separated from HDW and transferred to the company HDW-Gaarden GmbH. This reorganisation formed the basis for the further development of German Naval Yards as an independent company in the field of naval shipbuilding.[4]

German Naval Yards

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In 2011, the French group acquired the surface shipbuilding division of HDW-Gaarden.[5] In 2015, the name German Naval Yards Kiel was introduced.[4][6]

In the following years, the shipyard took part in several projects for the construction, maintenance and modernisation of naval vessels, including Abeille Méditerranée,[7] Abeille Normandie[8] and Seaguard 96.[9] Between 2016 and 2018, German Naval Yards carried out the construction of hulls for four superyacht projects.[3] From 2020 to 2021, the shipyard delivered four Sa’ar 6-class corvettes to the Israeli Navy. The first unit, INS Magen, was handed over in November 2020, followed by INS Oz in May 2021. The final two corvettes were delivered in July 2021.[10]

As part of the construction programme for the new F126-class frigates, carried out by Damen and Lürssen, German Naval Yards was entrusted with the manufacture of four of the six planned units. Production is expected to begin in 2024 and extend over a period of five to eight years. This project is among the most significant current armament programmes of the Bundeswehr in the field of surface shipbuilding.[11]

Company structure

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German Naval Yards is part of the European shipbuilding group CMN Naval. The group also includes the French shipyard CMN, the British ILS systems specialist Isherwoods,[1][12] as well as HydroQuest, ACE and AMT.[13]

Business activities

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The activities of German Naval Yards include the design, construction, conversion, as well as the maintenance and repair of ships. The company is particularly active in the construction of large naval vessels, such as corvettes and frigates.[12][14]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Our group". German Naval. Retrieved 2025-08-28.
  2. ^ "Fusionsverhandlungen zwischen HDW in Kiel und dem schwedischen U-Bootbauer Kockums gehen zügig voran. Fast perfekt: Neuer Werftenriese im Norden". Die Welt (in German). Vol. 49, no. 200. 1999-08-28. p. 43.
  3. ^ a b "History". German Naval. Retrieved 2025-08-28.
  4. ^ a b "Entscheidung mit Weitblick". Täglicher Hafenbericht (in German). No. 82. 2015-04-30.
  5. ^ "German Naval Yards hofft auf einfachere Verfahren bei Marine-Aufträgen". Kieler Nachrichten (in German). 2019-07-17. Retrieved 2025-08-28.
  6. ^ Preuß, Olaf (2014-06-11). "Die neue Kraft im deutschen Schiffbau". Die Welt (in German). Retrieved 2025-08-28.
  7. ^ Britz, Caroline (2022-06-01). "L'Abeille Méditerranée en courte escale à Brest". Mer et Marine (in French). Archived from the original on 2023-02-08. Retrieved 2025-08-28.
  8. ^ "L'Abeille Normandie sort sous ses nouvelles couleurs". Le Marin (in French). 2022-03-21. Retrieved 2025-08-28.
  9. ^ "German Naval Yards presents Seaguard 96". Marine Forum. 2022-09-12. Retrieved 2025-08-28.
  10. ^ "Verteidigung: Zwei weitere Korvetten an Israel übergeben". Die Zeit (in German). 2021-07-27. ISSN 0044-2070. Retrieved 2025-08-28.
  11. ^ Groizeleau, Vincent (2025-03-21). "Pierre Balmer: la création d'une JV entre CMN Naval et EDGE est une excellente chose". Mer et Marine (in French). Retrieved 2025-08-28.
  12. ^ a b Birger, Nicolai (2023-03-23). "German Naval Yards: Von den 100 Milliarden für die Bundeswehr ist bei uns noch nichts angekommen". Die Welt (in German). Retrieved 2025-08-28.
  13. ^ "European Naval Defence Group". CMN Naval. Retrieved 2025-08-28.
  14. ^ "Günther setzt auf Marineschiffbau". Täglicher Hafenbericht (in German). No. 35. 2018. p. 2.
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