Rheinmetall acquires the military division NVL from the Lürssen shipyard group

Launches Under a new Flag Rheinmetall is now Venturing Militarily into the Maritime Sector with the Purchase of NVL

2025-09-16 Source: dpa | Translated by AI 2 min Reading Time

Germany's largest defence company, Rheinmetall, has agreed with the Bremen (Germany)-based shipyard group Lürssen to purchase its military division NVL, dpa has learned.

Corvettes like these are a specialty of Naval Vessels Lürssen (NVL). Now, there is a decisive turning point in the company's history! Rheinmetall now plans to engage in shipbuilding in the naval sector and therefore intends to purchase NVL directly...(Image: NVL) — Corvettes like these are a specialty of Naval Vessels Lürssen (NVL). Now, there is a decisive turning point in the company's history! Rheinmetall now plans to engage in shipbuilding in the naval sector and therefore intends to purchase NVL directly...
(Image: NVL)

Germany's largest defence group announced the—presumably—billion-dollar deal regarding the purchase of Naval Vessels Lürssen (NVL) already on the evening of September 14. The parties aim to formally complete the transaction in the short term. Subject to approval by the relevant antitrust authorities, the parties are targeting the completion of the acquisition for early 2026. While the purchase price remains undisclosed, it is said that given the billion-dollar revenues of both players, a substantial sum is likely to flow to the Lürssen owners. With the acquisition of the shipbuilder, Rheinmetall aims to diversify, as stated. Not least, the Düsseldorf-based company intends to enter the naval sector as an additional business field. Until now, Rheinmetall has not built its own ships but has conducted business with the navy—for instance, with naval guns and laser modules. Since the beginning of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine in February 2022, the company's stock price has increased about twentyfold, as it supplies weapons to this war zone.

NVL can draw on several shipyards

The current conflict situation highlights that military capability is becoming increasingly important in the maritime sector as well. Rheinmetall now aims to meet the massively growing demand of naval forces and the increasing budgets for procurement with high-performance maritime systems that feature state-of-the-art digital infrastructure and cover the entire spectrum from platforms to electronics, sensors, and effectors, as reported. NVL is expected to support this. The private shipbuilding group Lürssen, incidentally, has been divided into two segments since October 2021: the naval segment Naval Vessels Lürssen and a yacht segment. NVL focuses on the design and construction of naval and government ships for the German Navy and a global customer base. In Germany, NVL includes four shipyards: the Peene-Werft in Wolgast (Germany), parts of Blohm+Voss and the Norderwerft in Hamburg, as well as the Neue Jadewerft in Wilhelmshaven (Germany). Additional locations are in Bulgaria, Croatia, Egypt, and Brunei. NVL employs around 2,100 people worldwide, according to its own information. Last year, the Lürssen subdivision reportedly generated revenues of around one billion euros (approx. 1.2 billion USD). Rheinmetall, according to its own data, employs around 40,000 people at 174 locations and achieved revenues of 9.8 billion euros (approx. 12 billion USD) last year.

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