Rolls-Royce, the global power systems company, has today opened a new Marine Service Centre in the Port of Hamburg, Germany.
The investment marks the latest stage in the development of a global marine service network.
This year, with Hamburg, four new or expanded Marine Service Centres have been opened in major world ports. The Group now has dedicated marine sales and overhaul facilities in 35 countries, providing round-the-clock support to customers worldwide.
This new facility further increases the Rolls-Royce footprint in Germany, a strategic market, where the Group already employs around 3,200 people at two aerospace production facilities and a state-of-the-art mechanical testing facility. A joint venture with Daimler, to acquire the German diesel engines group Tognum, will also create further growth opportunities and broaden the product portfolio.
Dr. Michael Haidinger, President, Rolls-Royce Deutschland said: “ The new Rolls-Royce Marine Service Centre in Hamburg represents an important extension of our activities in the Marine business and also increases our overall presence in Germany, which is a strategically important market for us .”
Martin Hall, Rolls-Royce, Senior Vice President Europe – Services Marine , said: “ Rolls-Royce has been investing to expand its global marine service network for several years. This latest world-class facility, in Hamburg, gives us a significant presence in one of Europe’s main centres for ship repairs, and one of the largest commercial ports in the region .”
Dr. Bernd Egert, Privy Council of the Public Authority of Economics, Transport and Innovation , said: “ A year ago this site was still an empty field. Now, Rolls-Royce has crossed the river Elbe and established its new home here in the Hamburg port. This is a very positive sign, and we hope that many businesses will follow that example and locate their operations in the port area. On top of that, the investment shows that businesses have confidence in the future and in Hamburg as a business location .”
“ Having such a well equipped workshop close to our customers, means we can help to maximise ship availability through a combination of highly skilled service engineers, world-class maintenance facilities and long-term service contracts .”
The new facility will serve a variety of customers from the commercial and offshore sectors, and will also provide services for naval customers. Employing up to 70 people, it will handle the repair and overhaul of a wide range of Rolls-Royce thrusters and propellers, steering gear and winches. Skilled engineers will also carry out servicing and repairs on board vessels throughout the region.
The facility will be a centre of excellence for the design and manufacture of tank-based stabilising and anti-heeling systems, which automatically control water movement between tanks on either side of a ship to give balance and counteract roll in rough seas. The innovative systems keep a ship stable and upright, improving safety at sea and during loading operations.
Earlier this year, Rolls-Royce opened new Marine Service Centres in Gdynia (Poland), Walvis Bay (Namibia) and doubled the size of its Rotterdam facility in the Netherlands.
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Source: Rolls-Royce, September 9, 2011;