Damen awarded contract for German naval vessels
Damen Schelde Naval Shipbuilding has officially won the tender for the construction of four MKS 180 frigates for the German Navy. German Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer is “very optimistic that the construction contract can be signed this year”.
“I am very pleased that the award procedure for the multipurpose battleship 180 can now be continued. Before the summer holidays, I will ask the Bundestag (German parliament) to release the budget”, said Kramp-Karrenbauer in a recent press statement. The contract is worth EUR 5.3 billion.
The MKS 180 frigates (MKS stands for Mehrzweckkampfschiff) are built on the yards of shipping companies Lürssen and Blohm + Voss in Bremen and Hamburg. The design and coordination largely take place at DSNS in Vlissingen. These German partners are Damen’s subcontractors in the project. Many German suppliers (including subsidiaries of Dutch company Thales) will also benefit from the contract. Ultimately, 80% of investments will remain in Germany.
Earlier this year, the German shipyard German Naval Yards in Kiel opposed the allocation of the multibillion-dollar order to DSNS and went to the federal tender chamber. Geman Naval Yards, owned by French-Lebanese entrepreneur Iskandar Safa, had strong doubts about the legality of the decision. On May 14, it was suddenly announced that German Naval Yards will merge with Lürssen, so that the shipyard is involved in the mega project through a detour.
According to Kramp-Karrenbauer, the new MKS 180 frigates must for a long time become “the face of the German Navy”.