Rheinmetall takes over NVL military division from Lürssen: EU Commission decision

Now also at sea Defence Company Rheinmetall Buys NVL From Lürssen

2026-02-26 Source: dpa | Translated by AI 1 min Reading Time

As the EU Commission has now decided, Rheinmetall is allowed to take over the military division, namely the naval shipbuilder NVL of the Bremen (Germany)-based shipyard group Lürssen ...

Until now, Rheinmetall has primarily equipped warships with laser systems and cannons, such as the Oerlikon Millennium Gun for fast surface targets. Now, however, the Düsseldorf (Germany) -based defence company wants to build entire ships, as it is allowed to take over NVL ...(Image: Rheinmetall Air Defence AG) — Until now, Rheinmetall has primarily equipped warships with laser systems and cannons, such as the Oerlikon Millennium Gun for fast surface targets. Now, however, the Düsseldorf (Germany) -based defence company wants to build entire ships, as it is allowed to take over NVL ...
(Image: Rheinmetall Air Defence AG)

Rheinmetall has been granted approval by the EU Commission to acquire the military division NVL of the Bremen-based shipyard group Lürssen, as announced today. Germany's largest defence company, headquartered in Düsseldorf, had already agreed on the purchase with Lürssen in September. This also includes the Blohm+Voss shipyard in the Hamburg (Germany) port, by the way. The transaction primarily concerns the construction of surface ships and related services in the defence sector. Given the limited impact on market structure, there are no competition concerns regarding this step after thorough examination.

Why only equip ships and not build them yourself?

Rheinmetall aims to broaden its scope and add naval shipbuilding as an additional business segment. The company has not previously built its own ships but does conduct business with the navy—such as with naval guns and laser modules, as reported. The purchase price remains undisclosed. The private shipyard group Lürssen has been split into two divisions since October 2021, namely the naval division Naval Vessels Lürssen (NVL) and a yacht division. NVL specializes in the design and construction of naval and authority ships for the German Navy and customers worldwide. In Germany, NVL includes four shipyards: the Peene-Werft in Wolgast (Mecklenburg-Vorpommern), parts of Blohm+Voss, the Norder-Werft in Hamburg, and the Neue Jade-Werft in Wilhelmshaven. There are also locations in Bulgaria, Croatia, Egypt, and Brunei.

Subscribe to the newsletter now

Don't Miss out on Our Best Content

Business E-mail

Please enter a valid mailadress.

By clicking on „Subscribe to Newsletter“ I agree to the processing and use of my data according to the consent form (please expand for details) and accept the Terms of Use. For more information, please see our Privacy Policy. The consent declaration relates, among other things, to the sending of editorial newsletters by email and to data matching for marketing purposes with selected advertising partners (e.g., LinkedIn, Google, Meta)

Date: 08.12.2025

Naturally, we always handle your personal data responsibly. Any personal data we receive from you is processed in accordance with applicable data protection legislation. For detailed information please see our privacy policy.

Consent to the use of data for promotional purposes

I hereby consent to Vogel Communications Group GmbH & Co. KG, Max-Planck-Str. 7-9, 97082 Würzburg including any affiliated companies according to §§ 15 et seq. AktG (hereafter: Vogel Communications Group) using my e-mail address to send editorial newsletters. A list of all affiliated companies can be found here

Newsletter content may include all products and services of any companies mentioned above, including for example specialist journals and books, events and fairs as well as event-related products and services, print and digital media offers and services such as additional (editorial) newsletters, raffles, lead campaigns, market research both online and offline, specialist webportals and e-learning offers. In case my personal telephone number has also been collected, it may be used for offers of aforementioned products, for services of the companies mentioned above, and market research purposes.

Additionally, my consent also includes the processing of my email address and telephone number for data matching for marketing purposes with select advertising partners such as LinkedIn, Google, and Meta. For this, Vogel Communications Group may transmit said data in hashed form to the advertising partners who then use said data to determine whether I am also a member of the mentioned advertising partner portals. Vogel Communications Group uses this feature for the purposes of re-targeting (up-selling, cross-selling, and customer loyalty), generating so-called look-alike audiences for acquisition of new customers, and as basis for exclusion for on-going advertising campaigns. Further information can be found in section “data matching for marketing purposes”.

In case I access protected data on Internet portals of Vogel Communications Group including any affiliated companies according to §§ 15 et seq. AktG, I need to provide further data in order to register for the access to such content. In return for this free access to editorial content, my data may be used in accordance with this consent for the purposes stated here. This does not apply to data matching for marketing purposes.

Right of revocation

I understand that I can revoke my consent at will. My revocation does not change the lawfulness of data processing that was conducted based on my consent leading up to my revocation. One option to declare my revocation is to use the contact form found at https://contact.vogel.de. In case I no longer wish to receive certain newsletters, I have subscribed to, I can also click on the unsubscribe link included at the end of a newsletter. Further information regarding my right of revocation and the implementation of it as well as the consequences of my revocation can be found in the data protection declaration, section editorial newsletter.