- MSC eyes Meyer Werft acquisition
- Discussions over 80pc stake held by German government
- Talks remain open-ended
- Government invested €400m plus €2.6bn guarantees
- Acquisition would give MSC newbuild slots
MSC is in discussions to take over the roughly 80pc of Meyer Werft held by the German federal government according to reports. The talks remain open-ended and other bidders could still come forward. MSC and Meyer Werft had signed a deal for new ships in 2025 but that has not been finalised. The report stated no final decision had been reached and the discussions could collapse.
Officials on the government side are not willing to take a loss on the €400m ($459m) the two parties put into the company. A sale would hand the more than 230-year-old shipyard back to private ownership. Berlin and Hanover stepped in during 2024 with the €400m equity injection plus €2.6bn in credit guarantees after pandemic losses left banks questioning the yard’s creditworthiness.
MSC has grown its cruise business organically investing in new ships and building new ships at Fincantieri and Chantiers over the years. An acquisition of a major shipbuilder would give them newbuild slots going forward and potentially keep others out at the same time.
