Shipbuilding & Navy: The importance for Germany's defence

A brief history of German shipbuilding

German shipbuilding can look back on a long history. Its beginnings date back to the middle ages. The Hanseatic shipping industry of Hanseatic cities such as Bremen and Hamburg was particularly important. During the imperial era (1871-1918), the Imperial Navy formed an high-seas fleet that was one of the largest in the world.

During the National Socialist era, shipbuilding focussed heavily on the construction of warships and submarines. After 1945, shipbuilding in Germany was initially limited to civilian purposes. The German Navy (from 1956) was founded as part of Germany's accession to NATO in 1955. It mainly built frigates, submarines (type 206, 212), destroyers and corvettes. Today, the navy has various ship types, e.g. the Baden-Württemberg class (frigate 125) or the Braunschweig class corvettes (class 130).

The most important shipyards in Germany today include Blohm+Voss and ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems.

The role of the navy in the German defence strategy

The navy's primary mission is to ensure the security of maritime trade routes. The Navy is one of the four branches of the German armed forces (together with the army, air force and cyber and Information space). The navy is firmly integrated into NATO and EU operations. And it should remain capable of acting in this function. According to a Report of the German Armed Forces the navy's goal by 2035 is "high combat readiness and presence in the North Atlantic, North Sea and Baltic Sea and all other operational areas even in peacetime". The focus is primarily on unmanned systems that can operate without people on board.

Another aspect that goes beyond pure border defence is the protection of merchant ships. The Bundeswehr even speaks of "Germany's maritime dependence" - a country that has several important harbours and for which the sea route is essential. In order to secure trade routes and ships in the future, the German Navy will have to maintain a presence in the North Atlantic as well as in the North and Baltic Seas. And to ensure all this, a growing number of ships will be needed. The Bundeswehr describes German shipbuilding as an "important strategic resource".

Challenges in shipbuilding

German shipbuilding will face some major challenges in 2025, primarily of a financial nature. Many shipyards are struggling to keep up with the rising costs of energy, materials and labour. The after-effects of the coronavirus pandemic and the consequences of various geopolitical events are also making themselves felt, particularly with regard to problems in global supply chains. All of this led to the Meyer Werft one of the largest German shipyards taken over by the state end of 2024. 

Another challenge in shipbuilding is the shortage of skilled labour, which poses major problems for numerous industries and companies throughout Germany. For many important services in shipbuilding (e.g. assembly, maintenance or repair), there is simply a lack of skilled labour and qualified specialists.

We offer a solution to this problem: as a personnel service provider, we have specialised in helping companies to recruit qualified employees for around 30 years. Whether it's temporary work or permanent positions via recruitment agencies, we have the right solution to help you find qualified personnel in the shipbuilding industry! 

Get in touch with our team to receive a non-binding offer. We are also happy to answer all your questions about temporary work, the shortage of skilled labour and shipbuilding!