German HDW announces to the Greek government the intention to cut a contract with Hellenic Shipyards



The Greek minister of the Defense, Evangelos Venizelos, has announced that the navalmeccanica society German Howaldtwerke-Deutsche Werft (HDW) of the group ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) has asked to cut own subcontracts relative to the construction of two new submarines of class 214 for Marina Militare Greca near the Greek ship yard Hellenic Shipyards (HSY).

The minister has specified that the demand does not regard the contract undersigned in law enforcement 3885-2010 from the Greek government, and from Middle Eastern Abu Dhabi SEA (ADM) and from the same HDW, that he has the objective to guarantee the survival of the Greek ship yard ( on 2 March and 1° October 2010), but I subcontract called "Neptune II" between contractor the HSY and the main subcontractor that is the HDW for the modernization of a submarine of class 209 and for the construction of the two submarines of class 214 for Greek Marina Militare. Draft - it has specified - of I subcontract myself running before ratifies of relative law 3885/2010 to the modernization of three submarines of class 209.

The minister has emphasized that the demand for HDW is not correlated in some way to actions or omissions by the Greek government, but more rather to discords risen between the current property of HSY, constituted from Middle Eastern the Privinvest Shipbuilding and Abu Dhabi SEA, and ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems /HDW and that HSY and the submarines for Marina Militare Greca not only concern on, but also on the cooperation between the parts in Germany. We remember that last year Abu Dhabi SEA has signed an agreement in order to acquire a part consisting of the navalmeccanico branch of ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems, between which the Blohm+Voss yard ( on 31 August 2010).

Moreover Evangelos Venizelos has evidenced that the Greek interests are protected from law 3885/2010 and that such developments will not have some impact on the delivery of the three submarines of class 214 by HSY, whose property already is transferred to the government of Athens second previewed how much from the law. The minister has explained that equally the amount of the investment is confirmed that the Greek government has carried out on the base of such law for the completion of the contract "Archimedes" and for the equipment of the submarines of class 209 in force to national Marina Militare, even if small sums already poured for the contract "Neptune" - it has specified - are still in the HSY hands.

The Greek minister today has in program in order to noon an encounter with managing director of Abu Dhabi the SEA, Iskandar Safa, for being dawned on the developments of the situation. Venizelos however has emphasized that Safa has already express confirmed it the intention of the Middle Eastern group to remain in Hellenic Shipyards (of which the group of Abu Dhabi stops 75.1% of the capital) and, more in general terms, in Greece.