The Mangalia shipyard on the Romanian Black Sea coast is not operational and requires investment as well as staff recruitment, according to Andre Neumann, sales director of Rheinmetall’s Naval Systems Division.
The company official stressed that Rheinmetall has not yet purchased the shipyard, but has only submitted a winning bid. He reiterated that Rheinmetall, together with its partners at MSC, aims to establish a dual-use shipyard capable of building both military and commercial vessels.
“As you know, the shipyard is insolvent and inactive. It is not operational. Therefore, significant maintenance work will be required. Investment is needed to bring the shipyard back into operation. There is also no longer any workforce. So we need to hire people; we need to bring in staff. This will take some time,” explained the sales director of Rheinmetall’s Naval Systems Division, cited by News.ro.
Neumann stated Rheinmetall’s plan to develop the shipyard so that it can manufacture both commercial and military vessels.
“The shipyard will be able to build both military and commercial vessels. Through this symbiosis, we will have a constant workload, ensuring stability for jobs, the workforce, and surrounding suppliers. [Rheinmetall and MSC] have a long-term vision for operating the shipyard,” Neumann concluded.
According to Neumann, the shipyard’s first project will be the two offshore patrol vessels (OPVs) intended for Romania. The vessels will be built based on the MMPV-90 (Multipurpose Modular Patrol Vessel 90), a class of 90-meter-long multipurpose patrol vessels developed by the German group NVL Group (formerly Lürssen), part of the Rheinmetall group, and built for the Bulgarian Navy.
However, the final product will differ from the Bulgarian model.
“There will be significant modifications because Romania operates a different type of helicopter than Bulgaria. Therefore, we need to increase the vessel’s length to provide more space for the hangar and landing deck. This means the vessel will exceed 96 meters. It will be more than six meters longer,” Andre Neumann explained.
In addition, some of the military equipment will also be different.
On October 9, after four failed auctions, Rheinmetall was declared the winner of the auction for the shipyard. The bid amounted to EUR 138 million, 75% of the previous starting price of EUR 184 million.
However, the transaction has not yet been finalized, as the main creditor of Damen Mangalia, Damen Holding BV, has challenged the amendment to the sale procedure.
After winning the auction, Rheinmetall Naval Systems stated that the Mangalia shipyard would play an important role in the construction of four military vessels ordered by the Romanian government.
“Following the acquisition, we intend to fully expand and modernize the shipyard. Our goal is to further develop the existing infrastructure, improve production conditions, and adapt capacity to meet future requirements. This will enable the shipyard to play a key role in the long-term implementation of our strategic activities in South-Eastern Europe and strengthen our industrial presence in the region,” Tim Wagner, CEO of the Naval Systems division, said at the time.
The two diving support vessels will be based on a model currently operated by the Egyptian Navy, but with modifications brought by Romania’s requirements.
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