Project history:
758, 759, 764, 768 – for MCN member LOEWE MARINE GmbH & Co. KG, these figures represent a very special success. In a cross-state cooperation with Ostseestaal GmbH & Co. KG in Stralsund, the supplier and service provider for manoeuvring technology, rudder engine services and performance management produced the double rudder systems for the listed and new LNG RoRo ships of Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft mbH & Co. KG (FSG). LOEWE MARINE has also received orders for the rudder engines for the current FSG new shipbuilding orders 769, 770, 772 and 773.
The idea for the successful north German cooperation project emerged during an MCN meeting. The partners knew each other from earlier shipbuilding projects. Even before that, rudder engine production at LOEWE MARINE, which was founded in 2011 and had been based in Bremen since 2015, was almost located exclusively within Germany. Entrusting it entirely to the Stralsund steel experts – as the extended workbench of the Bremen-based shipbuilding supplier – meant a significant increase in efficiency, said LOEWE MARINE owner Dipl.-Ing. Carsten Löhmer: “With this step, we are consolidating work steps and minimising interfaces, since Ostseestaal not only procures materials and undertakes actual steel construction, but also carries out all the sheet metal and profile deformations required for steel construction, which are an important element in the construction of rudders.”
Design, layout, construction, purchasing, classification certificates, approvals, quality and production monitoring as well as the areas of transport and general organisation remain fully under the responsibility of LOEWE MARINE as the main contractor. The flexibility and innovative capability that the company demonstrates in this respect, and the high quality of the products manufactured in northern Germany convinced FSG all along the line. “The successful cooperation between LOEWE MARINE and Ostseestaal is geared towards the long term,” Carsten Löhmer affirmed: “This cross-state cooperation in a premium partner network with MCN members enables extraordinarily efficient and high-quality products that are second to none in comparison with the international competition. The commissioning of initially four further rudder engines by the FSG shipyard and further orders for international customers confirm our business idea that it pays off to build high-quality rudder engines in Germany rather than abroad.”
As head of the MCN office in Bremen, Andreas Born has promoted the development of the cooperation from the very beginning: “Successful projects like this show how important it is to bundle competencies – also across federal states – in order to render the North German maritime industry even more innovative and internationally competitive.” Carsten Löhmer, who supports the cluster's commitment as deputy chairman of the advisory body until the association is founded and will in the future play an active role in the MCN Ship Efficiency specialist group, confirmed that: “With this cooperation, we are implementing precisely the philosophy and goals of MCN.”