On August 9th, the Brazilian Navy, the procurement agency EMGEPRON, and the company Águas Azuis, which was founded by thyssenkrupp, Embraer Defense & Security, and Atech, jointly celebrated the naming of the first of four frigates, which took place at the thyssenkrupp Estaleiro Brasil Sul shipyard in Itajaí, Santa Catarina. The 550 invited guests included the President of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, as well as the Brazilian Minister of Defense, José Múcio Monteiro, and other high-ranking representatives from Germany and Brazil. The godmother of the ship ‘Tamandaré’ was Vera Brennand, wife of the Brazilian Minister of Defense.
Itajaí is the hub for South America with a production area of 310,000 square meters. These framework conditions support thyssenkrupp Marine Systems in serving its customers even faster and combining the production of highly innovative products throughout the entire region. The shipyard is characterized by highly specialized plant facilities, sufficient production capacity and good infrastructure, for example a state-of-the-art floating dock with a capacity of 7,000 tons. This sets a promising course for Marine Systems that offers the prospect of taking on follow-on orders and favors the strengthening of regional value creation structures.
“As ‘Maritime Powerhouse’, we combine all technical solutions under one roof, command global production capacities and provide our customers with customized solutions. Brazil is our hub for South America, which underlines our close partnership with the Brazilian Navy in particular. The Tamandaré class ships have the latest technological standards and also ensure high local added value. Our partnership is a win for Brazil as well as for thyssenkrupp Marine Systems. My heartfelt thanks therefore go to everyone involved – President Lula da Silva, the Brazilian Navy, Águas Azuis and our approximately 900 employees.”
Oliver Burkhard, CEO of thyssenkrupp Marine Systems
To further strengthen its competitiveness and flexibility to answer customer needs, not only in the supply of high-class vessels but also for after-sales services, thyssenkrupp Marine Systems recently invested significantly in its Brazilian shipyard by purchasing a swim dock for the launching and re-docking of vessels. This is to be seen as a clear commitment by thyssenkrupp Marine Systems for its long-term engagement in the region.
The naming of the frigate with the construction number F200 marks another milestone in the surface vessel sector of thyssenkrupp Marine Systems. With a length of 107 meters, a displacement of 3,500 tons and a top speed of 25 knots, the Brazilian frigate offers impressive values. Renowned for its expertise, thyssenkrupp Marine Systems is developing and producing cutting-edge submarines and surface ships, while consistently delivering reliable and high-performance maritime defense systems to navies around the world. This makes it the only supplier in Germany to bring together the surface vessel and submarine sectors all under one roof, including naval electronics.
Recently, the company built state-of-the-art frigates for Egypt in record time and developed a design proposal for the MEKO A-400 AMD after thorough preliminary work. Additionally, thyssenkrupp Marine Systems has submitted a bid for Australia.
To maintain the competitive edge and accelerate the growth of the company, thyssenkrupp as owner and the global investment company Carlyle are exploring potential cooperation within the scope of the planned independence of thyssenkrupp Marine Systems. The companies have agreed to enter into an in-depth review and valuation. The subject of this valuation is a possible partial sale to Carlyle. At the same time, talks are underway with the German government and KfW Bank regarding the state’s participation in thyssenkrupp Marine Systems.
