After the surprising end of Strela Shipyard last April, positive news is now coming from Stralsund.
Earlier this month, it was announced that Dörries Yachts is coming to Stralsund – bringing with it an investment of around €20 million. Part of the money is set to be invested in a new 8,600 m² shipbuilding hall. According to Torsten Grundke, Chairman of the Volkswerft Committee of the Hanseatic City of Stralsund, there are even plans to relocate the company’s headquarters from Bremen to Stralsund. Grundke shared the news in a LinkedIn post.
“If someone had told me a few years ago that superyachts would soon be built at the Volkswerft shipyard in Stralsund, I would have smiled. Now it is becoming reality,” Grundke wrote.
The Bremen-based yacht builder, founded in 1987 by Werner Dörries, builds superyachts beyond the 100-metre mark for clients around the world. According to Grundke, the company’s current flagship project is the 114-metre “Arwen”, commissioned by an American tech billionaire. However, this is only partly correct: Dörries was originally commissioned to build the yacht, but the project was taken over by German Naval Yards in Kiel last October.
One of the key reasons behind Dörries Yachts’ decision in favour of Stralsund was the cooperation with Ostseestaal, which is also based at the Volkswerft site. Grundke also cited the existing hall capacities, heavy-load capabilities, direct access to the water and the availability of qualified shipbuilding specialists as decisive factors.
“I have been Chairman of the Volkswerft Committee for some time now, and what makes me particularly happy about this news is that it does not come alone. Fassmer is now also building ships in Stralsund. SLV is launching welder training courses at the site. Pump technology from Altefähr is moving here as well. Bit by bit, something is growing together here,” Grundke wrote.
“From apprentices to luxury yachts – the Volkswerft is alive. And it has a future.”
