Jane's Navy International. Shifting sands: Germany's naval sector in transition

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1 Jane's Navy International Shifting sands: Germany's naval sector in transition [Content preview Subscribe to Jane s Navy International for full article] Market dynamics have forced Germany's naval industry to adapt and change. Alex Pape and Richard Scott examine how shipbuilders are responding to increased competitive pressures Go back 20 years and the future for Germany's naval industrial base appeared, on the surface at least, very rosy. New domestic programmes, in the shape of three F124 frigates and up to 12 U212 submarines, were in prospect, thought was being given to new corvettes (to become the K130 class) to replace the fast missile boats, and a range of new-build and upgrade projects were already running for the German Navy. On the world stage German companies were continuing to enjoy significant export success. Blohm + Voss, for example, had established its modular MEKO (Mehrzweck-Kombination) concept as the basis for the most successful export warship line of the modern era. Conceived by Blohm + Voss in the mid-1970s, MEKO adopted what was, for the era, a highly novel and inherently flexible methodology for the installation of weapon, electronic, and major ship's service equipment in the form of standardised modules and common interfaces. On the submarine side Howaldtswerke Deutsche Werft AG (HDW) in Kiel and Thyssen Nordseewerke GmbH (TNSW) in Emden had also made major inroads in the international market. Furthermore, to better address emerging overseas prospects, HDW and TNSW had established the German Submarine Consortium together with Ferrostaal and Thyssen Rheinstahl Technik. Back in 1994 there were in fact six major shipbuilders with interests in the naval market, comprising Abeking & Rasmussen, Blohm + Voss, Bremer Vulkan, HDW, Lürssen Werft, and TNSW. These yards typically worked together in industrial consortia, or Arbeitsgemeinschaft (ARGE), for domestic programmes to ensure a spread of work across industry. However, it was already clear by this time that the tide was turning. There was an understanding that domestic workload would decline in the post-cold War era, and that competition for export work would intensify. Furthermore, the trend towards technology transfer and in-country build would only increase. At the same time - and notwithstanding the various alliances, partnerships, and ARGE consortia established in the preceding years - the sector was fragmented and suffered from inefficiencies and duplication. The past 20 years have seen substantial upheaval across that naval shipbuilding landscape, with the entire sector radically realigned. This change has been paralleled by reduced domestic demand and increased competition in the international arena. The corollary is to have brought the rump of what were once Blohm + Voss, HDW, and TNSW inside what is today ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS), part of ThyssenKrupp Group's Industrial Solutions business area. TKMS has itself undergone something of a metamorphosis in recent years. It closed its Nordseewerke yard in Emden, shed the Blohm + Voss shipyard in Hamburg and Gaarden facility in Kiel, merged the HDW shipyard and Blohm + Voss Naval design group in Hamburg, and most recently sold its Swedish subsidiary Page 1 of 10

2 Kockums to Saab. This gradual slimming down reflects both the very tough competition in the surface warship and commercial vessel sectors, and a re-orientation of the company's business model towards an engineering-based offer for corvettes, patrol vessels, and frigates. As a result of this, TKMS today does not possess its own production facilities for the construction of surface ships; indeed, it is working with partners in Germany to build the hull for its latest export frigate contract. At the same time, this means that the company does not have to worry about maintaining a steady workload through its own facilities, and has been able to reduce overheads commensurately. "We are now well positioned," said Chairman of the Executive Board Andreas Burmester, "to react more flexibly and provide a different kind of offering." Furthermore, decades of experience helping other yards build ships to its designs is promoted as a major discriminator in a market that increasingly demands transfer of technology and skills, assistance with incountry infrastructure development, and the establishment of local supply networks. "Overall, this may give us a competitive edge," said Burmester. This experience of building MEKO corvettes and frigates in overseas shipyards goes back more than 30 years, including the six Espora-class (MEKO 140) corvettes built in Argentina beginning in the 1980s; two of the four Yavuz-class (MEKO 200TN) frigates built in Turkey in the second half of the 1980s, followed by two of four Barbaros/Salihreis-class (MEKO 200TN Track IIA/IIB) frigates built in the 1990s; three of the four Hydra-class (MEKO 200HN) frigates built in Greece in the second half of the 1990s; the project for 10 ANZAC-class (MEKO 200ANZ) frigates built in Australia beginning in the 1990s; and the six Kedah-class (MEKO 100RMN) corvettes for the Royal Malaysian Navy and the single MEKO A-100 corvette (now patrol ship) Slazak in Poland from Page 2 of 10

3 Role reversal: twelve years after the South African Navy's A-200SAN frigates, the next batch of MEKO frigates will be integrated and outfitted in Germany from hulls built by a partner shipyard. (Michael Nitz - Naval Press Service) Submarine success While the surface domain has been subject to significant upheaval over the past decade, it has been 'steady as she goes' when it comes to submarines. In addition to an engineering and integration role, TKMS has retained its full capacities for construction, modernisation, and in-service support. This is very evident at its Kiel shipyard, where there are currently three generations of submarines in build, undergoing overhaul, or being modernised. A large part of this success is attributable to TKMS' evolutionary approach to submarine design and engineering. The majority of systems and concepts are proven and can trace their lineage to much older German submarine designs, with less than 10% on average in each successive class being entirely new. However, innovation has also been intrinsic to the sales success of TKMS-designed submarines, and the company has a number of technologies in development and testing that can be expected to materialise in the next generation of boats. For example, lithium ion batteries have the potential to significantly increase submerged range and endurance, particularly at higher speeds, and add flexibility because of their favourable charging characteristics. However, they will still have to demonstrate that they can pass the most stringent safety criteria before they are ready for use underwater: issues like thermal runaway, resulting in fires and explosions in laptops, have had serious consequences already in the world of consumer goods, but in a battery scaled for a submarine would have catastrophic consequences. TKMS continues to work with industry partners to mature a suitable solution. Page 3 of 10

4 For larger submarines a reformer fuel cell is envisaged as an alternative to the existing and proven fuel cell system (which uses liquid oxygen tanks and hydrogen stored in metal hydride cylinders). Further development is under way to facilitate the integration of unmanned underwater systems. Another innovation is the introduction of electric drives to replace hydraulics for rudder and hydroplane actuation, and weapons handling. With the conventional submarine business being a much more specialised affair on account of the high complexity and deep integration of some 300,000 components in a very confined space - something that puts a high premium on market entry - market circumstances are somewhat different. This justifies the retention of construction facilities - indeed, the Kiel yard is currently well utilised and TKMS is confident that future projects and competitions overseas will yield sufficient work to maintain this. Currently, the facility is completing the fifth and sixth German Type 212A submarines, ordered in 2006, and is incorporating modifications and improvements in sensors, connectivity, and special forces support. The initial four Type 212A boats are regular visitors for scheduled overhaul and maintenance periods at the yard. After the first Type 214 built at the TKMS Kiel shipyard (formerly Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft), some 18 boats are being built at shipyards in South Korea, Turkey, and Greece. (TKMS) Page 4 of 10

5 Lürssen focus Lürssen Werft is perhaps best known in the naval market for the success of its fast attack craft lines during the 1980s. Its name is also synonymous with the construction of some of the world's most advanced - and desirable - super yachts. Intrinsic to that is a reputation for delivering highly integrated and very high quality finished products. Yet while both impressions remain relevant, they do not reflect the whole story. From small facilities at Vegesack near Bremen, the company moved to nearby Lemwerder in the 1980s, and has since grown through the addition of Krögerwerft in 1987, Bremer Vulkan in 1997, Neue Jadewerft in 2004, Rolandwerft in 2010, Norderwerft in 2012, and most recently Peene-Werft in Today the company employs about 1,800 personnel. It continues to specialise in the build, refit, maintenance, and conversion of yachts and naval vessels; in 2013 it delivered Azzam, the (for now) largest motor yacht in the world, after three years in build. In addition to training tools using contemporary technology, such as tablet-based technical documents and video-based parts identification, the company offers training for operators and maintainers through to shipyard roles and fleet managers. Most of this is based out of a facility at Lemwerder, and can help in the preparation of infrastructure in the customer country to build, maintain, and support naval vessels locally. Building naval vessels in Germany may become the exception at some point in the future at Lürssen if the trends seen in international tenders in recent years continue; however, for the time being the yard has work to be getting on with at home. On the defence front, the latest Lürssen naval export programme has involved the construction of nine vessels for the Royal Brunei Navy. This work has comprised the build of four 41 m patrol boats from its German yards in , the 25 m patrol boat Mustaed (built at a Singapore shipyard and delivered in 2011), three PV80 80 m Darussalam-class offshore patrol vessels (OPVs) delivered in , and the follow-on 80 m OPV Daruttaqwa, handed over in May 2014, which shares a common hull but is modified for a training role. Page 5 of 10

6 Lürssen delivered four vessels based on the 80 m PV80 offshore patrol vessel (OPV) design to the Royal Brunei Navy in The Lürssen OPV design family also includes larger versions with a hangar for permanent embarkation of a helicopter. (Michael Nitz - Naval Press Service) The PV80 OPVs are designed for good seakeeping, courtesy of the hull design and two active fin stabilisers. The ships are powered by twin MTU 12V 1163 TB93 diesels to speeds of about 22 kt. The aft flight deck is rated for helicopters up to a size like the UH-60 Blackhawk and equipped with facilities to refuel helicopters, although a hangar is not provided as the vessels are expected to support land-based helicopters rather than embark one while operating out to the limits of an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). Below the flight deck is a deck that can accommodate containerised mission modules if required, with power and data connections already provided. A 10 m interceptor craft can be launched and recovered from the stern ramp up to Sea State 4, although up to four interceptors could be accommodated overall if the entire mission deck is used. According to Lürssen, the ships have considerable through-life reserves for integration of additional systems. The OPV family includes the larger PV85 and PV90, which provide space for a helicopter hangar and more systems, and meet the emerging requirement from some navies towards 'OPVs with teeth', including corvette-like sensor and effector packages. At the small, agile, and very fast end of the range Lürssen offers interceptors and patrol boats. An important export contract for the Saudi Coast Guard that is reported to have entered force around March 2014 is understood to include a mixture of these types, plus support craft. However, the yard cannot comment on the programme and details as yet. A recently presented new design dubbed PV37 may give an indication of how some of the vessels may look. The aluminium hulled 180 tonne, 35 m semi-planing patrol boat is powered to speeds in excess of 30 kt by two MTU 16V series 4000 diesels driving propellers or waterjets. A rigid inflatable boat can be accommodated on the aft deck and armament can include a 30 mm light naval gun, anti-ship missiles, and short-range air-defence missiles. Page 6 of 10

7 The German Navy's K130 corvettes were built by a consortium of German shipyards, with Lürssen completing and delivering two ships, and TKMS delivering the remaining three. (PIZ Marine) In addition, the company retains its expertise in specialist mine countermeasures vessels. It played a role in building and now supporting the German Type 702 combat support ships, and continues to market concepts for larger frigate-type surface combatants. As noted earlier, the company is co-operating with TKMS on the construction of the Type F125 frigates. Before that, as part of a similar consortium involving Blohm + Voss and TNSW (prior to their becoming TKMS units), Lürssen also worked on the K130 corvette project, providing the stern section for all five 1,800-tonne Braunschweig-class ships, and outfitting and delivering two vessels. The K130 consortium had to face some challenges during the execution of the project, foremost the need to remove the main gearboxes from the finished vessels for correction of defects and rebuild at supplier MAAG. However, it has since delivered all vessels, the last of which was commissioned in March The class has joined Germany's frigates on overseas deployments, including the UNIFIL mission off Lebanon. SWATH advocacy Abeking & Rasmussen (A&R), also based at Lemwerder, is probably best known as a specialist yard for mine warfare vessels, and it continues to offer to market the dedicated minehunter or sweeper with minimal signature and high shock protection that can venture into the minefield. Unmanned systems are integrated for much of the hazardous mine detection and disposal work. OPVs also continue to be marketed, with the Page 7 of 10

8 portfolio evolving incrementally according to customer demand and evolving technology (taking account of advanced hybrid propulsion, modularity, reduced manning, and commercial standards). However, the company is at the forefront of a different innovation that capitalises on a hydrodynamic form that has been around for some time but has been little used in the naval domain, apart from in a few specialist ships. The concept is the Small Waterplane Area Twin Hull (SWATH): a hullform that uses two submerged hulls connected to an upper platform by thin narrow struts. Benefits include significantly reduced motion and acceleration in a seaway when compared with a monohull vessel, and the company is keen to demonstrate this with trials video footage. The benefits, however, have to be balanced against some downsides - such as design and build complexity, higher powering requirements, and damaged stability considerations - but Abeking & Rasmussen is confident that the high requirements imposed by Germany's civil authorities on the standard vessel can allay fears on the latter point. A naval variant, derived from the 25 m pilot tender, was selected by Latvia as the winner of its coastguard patrol boat project in The resulting five Skrunda-class vessels were delivered from the A&R yard in Germany and Riga Shipyard in The class features a space for a container module on the foredeck for modular mission equipment, although this is not normally embarked. Another 25 m SWATH vessel sold to Estonia for research and survey tasks uses a containerised sonar suite including a towed sidescan sonar. Page 8 of 10

9 Five Skrunda-class Small Waterplane Area Twin Hull (SWATH) vessels were delivered to Latvia from the Abeking & Rasmussen yard in Germany and Riga Shipyard in (Latvian Ministry of Defence) A line to the Americas The Fassmer shipyard near Bremen has made a successful foray into the naval market in particular with its 80 m OPVs, although the yard markets a range from 21 m to 100 m vessels; it also supplied a 40 m coastal patrol boat to Colombia in The OPV 80 design was selected by Chile and Colombia and is being built locally at their respective national shipyards. Chile's ASMAR shipyard completed a first pair, named Piloto Pardo and Comandante Toro, in 2008 and 2009, and in April 2014 launched a third. Additional units are planned, and a modified variant with improved armament and capabilities has been mooted for some time. Fassmer's 80 m OPV80 design was selected by Chile and Colombia and is being built locally at their respective national shipyards. (Chilean Navy) The 1,800-tonne vessels are designed with good seakeeping in mind, can reach speeds of about 20 kt with the installed pair of Wärtsilä diesels, and can operate a medium helicopter from the flight deck. The ships can be operated with a crew of 36. The third vessel features limited ice-protection to allow operations in summer ice conditions, and is expected to be equipped with a 76 mm medium-calibre naval gun in place of the 40 mm mounts integrated on the first pair. Page 9 of 10

10 The flexibility of the design is also demonstrated by the Colombian variant, with two Batch 1 ships completed by COTECMAR in 2012 and 2014 that use less powerful engines to achieve 18 kt while delivering better fuel economy, provide space for up 102 personnel, and feature a stern ramp and a new davit system. A third vessel is being started in late 2014, this time with a propulsion system sized for about 21 kt, and an expanded armaments package also featuring a 76 mm gun. Further modifications are on the cards for planned subsequent units. Fassmer has also begun to offer a multipurpose auxiliary ship variant for provision of disaster relief, medical support, transport, and training tasks, as well as a stretched 90 m OPV. Following a trend for adding armament and features, Fassmer has since included what it dubs the 'Naval OPV' to its range. This platform features increased survivability, platform speed of up to 25 kt, and expanded sensor and effector suites. The concept balances affordability and the desire for combatant-like capability, for instance with reduction of above-water signatures, although reduction of underwater acoustic signature would impose considerable extra costs. Copyright IHS Global Limited, 2014 For the full version and more content: IHS Jane's Defence Industry and Markets Intelligence Centre This analysis is taken from IHS Jane s Defence Industry & Markets Intelligence Centre, which provides world-leading analysis of commercial, industrial and technological defence developments, budget and programme forecasts, and insight into new and emerging defence markets around the world. IHS defence industry and markets news and analysis is also available within IHS Jane s Navy International. To learn more and to subscribe to IHS Jane s Navy International online, offline or print visit For advertising solutions contact the IHS Jane s Advertising team Page 10 of 10