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.

The world's most modern conventional submarine launched as "Inimitable"

On 22 April 2024, the fourth submarine in the Type 218SG construction program was named at the thyssenkrupp Marine Systems shipyard in Kiel. The 250 invited guests included Boris Pistorius, Federal Minister of Defence, and Teo Chee Hean, Senior Minister and Coordinating Minister for National Security of the Republic of Singapore, as well as other high-ranking representatives from Singapore and Germany. The sponsor of the boat was Ms. Teo Swee Lian, sister of Teo Chee Hean.

Oliver Burkhard, CEO of thyssenkrupp Marine Systems, emphasized: “The submarines built in this project are the most modern conventional submarines the world has ever seen. They belong to a new, state-ofthe-art generation and are also the largest submarines built in Germany to date. It is the result of hard work, commitment and the collaboration of many talented people that has led us to this success.”

The design of the Type 218SG submarines is based on a low signature. The air-independent propulsion system gives the boats a long underwater endurance. With a length of about 70 metres and a displacement of around 2,000 tonnes, they are currently the largest submarines ever built at Marine Systems. Following the "Invincible" in 2019 and the double launching of the "Impeccable" and "Illustrious" in December 2022, the fourth boat has now been launched. The "Inimitable" will be handed over from 2025 after intensive testing.

Following the naming ceremony, thyssenkrupp Marine Systems and ST Engineering signed a Memorandum of Understanding to jointly enhance the capabilities of Singapore’s Type 218SG submarines over their operational lifetimes. It expands on the earlier Teaming Agreement signed in December 2022 to cover collaboration on selected technologies and applications in the areas of additive manufacturing (3D printing), maintenance training, data analytics and obsolescence management.

Support contract for F125 extended by five years
ARGE partners and the Bundeswehr Procurement Office rely on continuity in the support of the F125 and have confirmed their long-term cooperation

The Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support (BAAINBw) has extended the existing contract with ARGE F125 for the technical-logistical support (TLB) of the F125 frigate class for a further five years until 1 March 2029. The contract covers the four ships and the testing/training center (EZ/AZ F125) in Wilhelmshaven. The F125 consortium is made up of thyssenkrupp Marine Systems as the lead company and the NVL Group.

Following the signing, Dr. Oliver Juckenhöfel, Head of Operating Unit Surface Vessels at thyssenkrupp Marine Systems, said: “The extension of the TLB F125 contract is a strong vote of confidence from the German customer and is proof that we have successfully proven ourselves as a system house.” The main purpose of the contract extension is to continue to support the Bundeswehr Procurement Office (BAAINBw) in maintaining the operational readiness of the F125 class ships in the face of constantly evolving requirements. “The F125 class will be the backbone of the German Navy’s operational commitments in the coming years. Ensuring the operational readiness of the ships together with the public client is an active contribution to the security policy of the Federal Republic of Germany, which we are happy to make,” Dr. Juckenhöfel added.

The frigate BADEN-WÜRTTEMBERG is currently the first ship of the class to be deployed in UNIFIL operations off Lebanon (United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon), where it is impressively demonstrating its capabilities. Patrick Buggenthin, Program Manager ARGE F125, emphasizes the importance of the contract: “The continuation of the TLB contract is confirmation for us that the good and successful cooperation of recent years is also valued by the German customer. We look forward to continuing to support the crews and the many servicemen and women as well as employees ashore in ensuring that the ships can perform their duties and contribute towards the operational readiness of the German Navy.”

Key data – BADEN-WÜRTTEMBERG class F125

• Length: 149 m

• Beam: 18 m

• Top speed: > 26 kn

• Displacement: approx. 7,200 metric tons

• Complement: max. 190 (including up to 126 regular crew)

• Units built: 4