thyssenkrupp Marine Systems reaches another milestone in the construction of surface vessels – keel laid for Brazil’s most modern frigate

The Brazilian Navy, the procurement agency EMGEPRON, and the company Águas Azuis, which was founded by thyssenkrupp, Embraer Defence & Security, and Atech, jointly celebrated the keel laying of the country’s most modern frigate. The ceremony took place on June 6, 2024 at the thyssenkrupp Estaleiro Brasil Sul shipyard in Itajaí. The new frigate, the “Jerônimo de Albuquerque”, is the second ship in Brazil’s Tamandaré-class frigate program, for which a total of four units are to be built. These MEKO® class ships combine cutting-edge technology and robust combat capabilities.

The Tamandaré program is considered Brazil’s most innovative naval construction project and was developed with the help of local manpower and a technology transfer managed by thyssenkrupp Marine Systems. In 2020, thyssenkrupp Marine Systems signed an agreement to acquire the shipyard in Itajaí, Brazil, where a current total of 1,300 people are employed in the Tamandaré program. The site is of key strategic importance: It will later be expanded into a hub for South America to ensure faster customer service and local value creation and to enable a reliable network.

“We are delighted to be able to celebrate another success in the surface vessel sector, as well. The construction of the most modern frigate for Brazil not only highlights our ambitions in international surface ship construction, but is also helping to bolster our relationships in the whole of South America,” said Oliver Burkhard, CEO of thyssenkrupp Marine Systems. “In the future,” he added, “we want to develop our leadership in products into a leadership in systems. This means offering not only the best subsystems, but also the best integrated solution. To make this possible, we are working towards achieving a new and improved position as a maritime powerhouse, which will allow us to secure and expand our status as a leading naval company.”

The keel laying of the frigate with the construction number F201 marks another milestone in the surface vessel sector. It builds on the successes of 2023, which saw the delivery of the third high-performance frigate for the Egyptian Navy in record time at the end of the year. The fourth frigate was launched at the beginning of December 2023 and is currently being completed in close cooperation with thyssenkrupp Marine Systems at Egypt’s Alexandria Shipyard.

thyssenkrupp Marine Systems is the only supplier in Germany to bring together the surface vessel and submarine sectors under one roof, including naval electronics. It also has sufficient production capacity and, with the acquisition of the state-of-the-art shipyard site in Wismar, has created additional facilities for building further boats at the same time.

In addition to its strong position in the surface vessel sector, thyssenkrupp Marine Systems is the global market leader in the construction of conventional submarines: The start of production of the Type 212CD submarines for Germany and Norway – the largest order in the company’s history, the signing of a letter of intent to build new submarines for India, and the christening of the “Inimitable” for Singapore attest to the successes of recent months. Moreover, Marine Systems in Kiel is producing what are currently the largest submarines, boasting a length of around 70 meters and a displacement of around 2,000 tonnes. In addition, the company is currently in talks with other potential customers in surface vessel and submarine construction.

In order to meet constantly growing requirements, thyssenkrupp Marine Systems will continue its course of growth as a maritime powerhouse in the coming months, pushing ahead with integrated system solutions. To encourage this growth, it is seeking to shape its organizational development to harmonize with the decision to merge thyssenkrupp Marine Systems and ATLAS ELEKTRONIK. In addition, thyssenkrupp as owner and the global investment company Carlyle are exploring potential cooperation in 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.

From an economic perspective, thyssenkrupp Marine Systems is well positioned for the coming years. At the end of the 2022/23 financial year, its order backlog totaled around 13 billion euros.