FLOATING STEEL
Berlin wants to keep sub maker in German hands: report

Class 212A and 214 submarines were the first in the world to undertake long dives independent of external air sources.
by Staff Writers
 Berlin (AFP) Dec 13, 2009
 The German government is pushing to prevent foreign investors buying a majority stake in submarine maker Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft (HDW), the Spiegel weekly reported on Sunday.

Representatives from the German economy ministry were in talks with two German companies that have expressed an interest in HDW, which is currently owned by steelmaker ThyssenKrupp, Spiegel said, without naming its sources.

Also involved in the talks is Abu Dhabi MAR, which owns interests in other European shipyards and which is eyeing a minority stake in HDW, Spiegel said.

HDW specalises in submarines powered by fuel cells and has supplied navies around the world, including Israel's. Because of the firm's sensitive area of business, a sale of the company would require government approval.

Thomas Kossendey, state secretary in the defence ministry, told an industry conference in September that Berlin wanted to ensure that the design and construction of military vessels "stayed in German hands."

Share This Article With Planet Earth
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit
YahooMyWebYahooMyWeb GoogleGoogle FacebookFacebook



Related Links
 Naval Warfare in the 21st Century

FLOATING STEEL
Rand Corp. wins submarine design study
 Canberra, Australia (UPI) Nov 6, 2009
The Ministry of Defense has awarded a contract to the Rand Corp. to report on the country's manufacturing capability to produce a dozen submarines. The contract award is the first concrete step in Australia's most expensive ever defense procurement project, expected to be around $17 billion. Greg Combet, acting minister for defense, announced the contract to complete a "Domestic ... read more
The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2009 - SpaceDaily. AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement