Stralsund's Fosen shipyard goes bankrupt | NDR.de - News

Status: 22.08.2024 14:46

According to NDR information, the Fosen shipyard in Stralsund has filed for bankruptcy. Around 45 employees are affected. According to IG Metall, they were informed at a staff meeting.

von Stefan Ludmann

Setback for the plans of Stralsund’s mayor Alexander Badrow (CDU) to make the former Volkswerft an attractive industrial location again: On Wednesday, Badrow announced that the lease agreements with the Fosen Werft had been terminated, and one day later the Fosen management filed for bankruptcy. The company had rented the large shipbuilding hall, one of the Hanseatic city’s landmarks, which is reminiscent of the Volkswerft’s tradition. The “Gorch Fock 1” was being renovated in the hall until May – with funding from the EU and the federal government.

Fewer jobs than promised

After the bankruptcy of the MV shipyards in 2022, Fosen was one of the first companies that the city, as owner of the Volkswerft site, relocated to the industrial site. At the time, Badrow spoke of the former Volkswerft “coming back to Stralsund”. However, the expectations of Fosen have been dashed. According to union information, the company did not pay collective wages and only created around 45 jobs. Much more was agreed with the city, allegedly 100. The background to the dispute could also be missed rent payments. Shipyard circles say that Fosen did not pay the rent in full. When the leases were terminated, Fosen lost its business premises – apparently a reason for the insolvency. The city cut off the company’s electricity shortly after the termination. Completed orders for a Danish company could not be delivered. “That’s not how you treat each other,” reported a Fosen employee.

Future of the company open

It is unclear what will happen to the employees now. The previous managing director, Carsten Stellamanns, could not be reached by NDR. Apparently the thread of communication with the city has also been lost. It was said that it was difficult to get the Stralsund Fosen boss on the phone. The Stralsund district court has appointed Düsseldorf lawyer Biner Bähr as insolvency administrator. He works for the international insolvency law firm White & Case. Bähr is considered a restructuring expert, but he too could not be reached by phone at first.

IG Metall: A slap in the face

In view of the insolvency and the uncertain future of the employees, IG Metall speaks of a “slap in the face”. Even two years ago, there were not necessarily any interested parties lining up, explained the regional IG Metall spokesman Frank Prenzlau.

Mayor Badrow is optimistic. The separation from Fosen opens up new perspectives, he said. “We are confident that we will soon find new partners who will take advantage of the location’s advantages,” said Badrow. He plans to give an update on the situation at the location in a press conference early Thursday evening.

New interested party already in the starting blocks?

Apparently there are already interested parties. Shortly after the announcement of Fosen’s insolvency, the Stralsund-based Strela Shiprepair Yard, which operates on the shipyard site, announced that it wanted to “fill the gap created by the withdrawal of Fosen.” Apparently a cooperation for the use of the shipbuilding hall has already been agreed. “For us, this opens up the possibility of significantly increasing the existing repair and conversion capacities,” explained managing director Jan Tebbe-Simmendinger. No information was given about the number of jobs that might be created.

More information

The employees of the Rostock Neptun Werft, which belongs to the Meyer Group, should be informed about the current situation. more