BREMERHAVEN, GERMANY’s Heinrich Rönner Group is to take over operations at the insolvent Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft, with construction of Searoad Shipping’s new Bass Strait ro-ro to resume at month’s end following completion of transfer arrangements.
HRG is active in shipbuilding as well as steel construction and port and transport logistics, according to its website. The company acquired the Lloyd Werft shipyard in Bremerhaven in 2022 during the insolvency proceedings for Genting Hong Kong and MV Werften .and has operated it successfully.
The administrators have also received a notarised offer from Bremen’s Lürssen Group to take over FSG’s sister yard Nobiskrug in Rendsburg, which specialises in building super yachts.
The provisional insolvency administrators Dr Christoph Morgen and Hendrik Gittermann, who announced rescues at a press conference at FSG on Friday [31 January] will formally accept these offers this week following the opening of the insolvency proceedings.
The FSG and Nobiskrug workforces were informed at staff meetings, with Schleswig-Holstein’s Minister President Daniel Günther and State Secretary for Economic Affairs Julia Carstens attending the Flensburg shipyard to mark the occasion, where the owners of the Rönner Group introduced themselves personally to the employees, contemporary reports say.
Chas Kelly, chairman of the Devonport-based SeaRoad Group, confirmed he had placed an order with the Rönner Group to complete Searoad 1.
“We have managed to find two renowned strategic investors for FSG and Nobiskrug within the extremely tight time frame of just seven weeks,” Dr Morgen said. “In the week following the opening of the insolvency proceedings, technical preparations will begin at the Flensburg shipyard for the Rönner Group to resume shipyard operations.
“I would like to thank Chas Kelly, the chairman of SeaRoad, for coming all the way from Tasmania to northern Germany to secure the new vessel 784 here in Flensburg,” continued Dr Morgen.
Michael Schmidt, Chairman of workers union IG Metall Flensburg, said FSG could now once again show that it can fulfil technically highly demanding orders such as the construction of the LNG-powered RoRo vessel for SeaRoad. “The Rönner Group has an outstanding team that always fights for its shipyard. These are the people you need when it comes to complex shipbuilding contracts and Germany’s energy security. They are ready and waiting in the transfer company.”
Extensive preparatory work still needs to be carried out in the coming months, for example obtaining authorisations and certifications, renovating buildings, setting up facilities, procuring materials and much more, the administrators said. A transfer company has been set up for the employees, which will ensure the transition and enable them to gain further qualifications. Over 95% of the 500 employees have contractually agreed to this procedure.
SeaRoad Group executive chairman Chas Kelly told DCN the company is “very happy with the arrangements we now have in Flensburg” and “not worried about Roenner Group and the future of the yard.
“We have always discussed that there will be a need for a second newbuild at the appropriate time,” Mr Kelly said.
