- Following pledges of assistance towards Meyer Group
The Rostock Neptun Shipyard, owned by the Meyer Group, has expressed its approval for the anticipated aid to the historical Papenburg shipbuilding company. As per Thomas Behrens, chairperson of the works council, in an interview following a Neptun Shipyard gathering with the German Press Agency, if the Chancellor pledges support, it can't be rescinded.
The political signals from the federal government and Lower Saxony to Meyer Werft are vital for the Rostock site. "We were on the brink, our tension. The storm clouds that hung over Papenburg and now recede, they hovered equally over Rostock due to our structural links to Papenburg," expressed Behrens.
During the Neptun Shipyard assembly on Monday, Bernd Eikens, CEO of the Meyer Group, Stephan Schmees, the future director of the Neptun Shipyard, and MV's Minister of Economic Affairs, Jochen Schulte (SPD), reportedly attended. Around 350 employees were said to have joined from the workforce.
Behrens publicly praised the Schwerin state government's announcement to contribute to the construction of converter platforms for the offshore wind energy sector in Warnemünde with guarantees at the meeting. The Neptun Shipyard and Belgian steel constructor Smulders have opted for collaboration on this project. A portion of Warnow Shipyard, belonging to the naval arsenal, will provide space for production.
Despite numerous orders, Meyer Werft faced an existential crisis due to escalating energy and raw material costs. Scholz recently expressed support to the shipyard at a meeting in Papenburg. There are discussions about the federal government and Lower Saxony temporarily taking part in the shipyard, but no financial commitment from MV to the Meyer Group is on the table.
The funding from the federal government and Lower Saxony could significantly aid the Shipping operations at the Rostock site. The financial support could help alleviate the pressures caused by rising energy and raw material costs, potentially saving the Neptun Shipyard from its existential crisis.
