Shipbuilding - Scholz offers help for Meyer Werft
Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz offers support for the struggling Meyer Werft. In the traditional summer press conference in Berlin, the SPD politician said: "We care about this issue." He has been in intensive talks with Lower Saxony Minister-President Stephan Weil.
There's nothing "decisive or conclusive" yet, Scholz stated. "But this is a topic that is a top priority for me, and for good reason. It's a fantastic yard with wonderful colleagues who do great work." He is convinced that what is produced there will still be bought and needed in the future and is fully competitive. "So, a good starting point to do something so that the yard can continue."
The yard, known for its cruise ships, is in the gravest crisis of its more than 200-year existence. The yard currently has orders up to 2028. However, some contracts for the cruise ships were signed before the Corona pandemic. Due to the interim decline in the tourism market, the orders were adjusted in agreement with the shipping companies. However, they see no adjustment to the drastically increased energy and raw material prices due to the Russian attack on Ukraine. The company must raise more than 2.7 billion Euros by the end of 2027 for financing new shipbuilds.
Lower Saxony Minister-President Stephan Weil sees a future perspective for the Meyer Werft. "The Meyer Werft is future-proof. And we are working very hard to ensure that it also has a future," the SPD politician told the "Nordwest-Zeitung". A recently presented restructuring plan was considered an important step by Weil, "but we need to come to agreements with the banks, between the federal government and the states, the contractors, and also with the owners." We have a real chance.
- The struggling Meyer Werft, a renowned shipyard in Germany known for its cruise ships, is located in Lower Saxony.
- Olaf Scholz, the Federal Chancellor of Germany, has been actively engaged in discussions with Stephan Weil, the Lower Saxony Minister-President, regarding the crisis at Meyer Werft.
- Scholz emphasized the importance of Meyer Werft, acknowledging its talented workforce and competitiveness in the global shipbuilding industry, despite the current crisis.
- Despite not having a definitive solution yet, Scholz expressed his commitment to finding a way to secure the future of Meyer Werft, which he believes will continue to produce in-demand ships.
- The cruise ship yard is currently grappling with its most severe crisis in over 200 years, exacerbated by the soaring energy and raw material prices resulting from the Russian attack on Ukraine.
- Weil, an SPD politician and Lower Saxony's Minister-President, has a positive outlook for Meyer Werft's future, emphasizing the importance of collaborating with banks, the federal government, states, contractors, and the owners to implement the recently presented restructuring plan.
