Rolls-Royce sells the Commercial division Marine to the Kongsberg for 500 million pounds



Rolls-Royce yields a piece of its history. If the British group date officially the beginning of its genesis in 1884 when the founder Henry Royce started activity in the field of electrical equipment and mechanics and the birth of the Rolls-Royce at the beginning of the Twentieth century when with the cofondatore Charles Rolls addressed with decision the company towards the motoristico and automotive field, however many of the first plannings in mechanical field and electrical worker and of the first ingegneristiche activities on which the group will build up own important branch of business in the naval industry are made to go back from the same Rolls-Royce to 1831.

The announced agreement that it previews the sale to the Norwegian group Kongsberg of the activities of the Rolls-Royce in the civil branch of the naval industry, Marine business today called Commercial that is estimated 500 million pounds (566 million euros), represents therefore the end of a meaningful history part of the company, for second importance only to that concluded in 2003 when the automotive brand Rolls-Royce passed to the German group BMW.

An agreement - that official notice today - not unexpected, since at the beginning of this year the British group had announced of having determined to estimate the hypothesis to yield this branch of activity(on 17 January 2018), announcement that most times the companies diffuse when they are already in course contacts and negotiations for the sale. The understanding moreover is already approved of by the boards of directors of the Rolls-Royce and of the Kongsberg and it previews that it will be completed in the first trimester of the next year after the necessary authorizations by the competent authorities.

Rolls-Royce has specified that the activities of the naval field that will be yielded are those in the fields of the propulsion, of the machinery of blanket, the automation and control, let alone those of ship intelligence recently developed by the group, mainly in the segment of independent navigation and to remote control, and includes a net of services that covers beyond 30 nations. Moreover the group has specified that Rolls- Royce Power Systems will continue to supply engines MTU to customers of the marine field, included operators of commercial ships and yacht, while the activities in the segment of the propulsion with gas turbines will continue to be part essential of Rolls- Royce Defence, the division of the group that work in the field of the defense.

Currently the Commercial division Marine of the British group employs some 3.600 people, in great part in the Europe North, and last year it has recorded a turnover of 817 million pounds and an operating result of sign negative and pairs to -70 million pounds.

"The acquisition of Rolls- Royce Commercial Marine - it has emphasized Geir Háøy, managing director and president of the Kongsberg - returns us a supplier for the naval industry more suit. The marine industry is becoming more and more globalizzata and is enduring remarkable technological changes and of market. With this acquisition we will strengthen our strategic position respect to shipowners, ship yards and other customers and partner".

Kongsberg has about 7.000 dependent and a annual turnover that in 2017 is piled to 14,5 billion Norwegian crowns (1,5 billion euros), respect to beyond down 15,8 billion crowns in the exercise precedence.