Rheinmetall And MSC In Talks To Jointly Take Over Romanian Shipyard Mangalia.

Bucharest; May 2026: German group Rheinmetall and Swiss Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) have announced their alliance in jointly taking over the Mangalia shipyard and transform it into a dual-use centre for both military and civilian shipbuilding, according to a press release from the two potential investors. Under bankruptcy, the yard can be taken over by the Romanian state at no more than its liquidation value, set at EUR 87 million, and use it for defence production purposes in a joint venture, according to an emergency ordinance passed recently by the executive.

The talks come shortly after Romania proposed to Rheinmetall a contract worth nearly EUR 1 billion for four ships to be built under the military endowment scheme SAFE. In total, the German company expects to collect over five billion euros from the contracts with Romania, including, among others, Lynx KF41 infantry fighting vehicles as well as Skynex and Skyranger air defence systems.

According to a statement from Rheinmetall and MSC, the takeover of the bankrupt Mangalia shipyard “would open up positive prospects for the future of the Romanian shipbuilding and defence industry and mark the start of a new era. Rheinmetall AG is considering, in close cooperation with the Swiss company MSC, making substantial investments in the site”. Rheinmetall plans to turn Mangalia shipyard into a production centre on a European scale.

The German company said its current plan envisages that the resumption of shipyard operations will go beyond the construction of the four ships currently planned, which are to be built by Rheinmetall’s Naval Systems division. The idea is to develop Romania into a major European production hub for shipbuilding. In this context, Rheinmetall aims to attract further European and global programmes to the country, thereby strengthening Romania’s position in the defence and shipbuilding industries.

Rheinmetall is a German technology and defence group known worldwide for manufacturing military equipment and security systems. Through its Naval Systems division, established following the recent acquisition of the NVL shipyards from the Lürssen group, Rheinmetall is one of the world’s leading suppliers of naval systems and is responsible, in particular, for major programs for the German navy.

In Romania, the Düsseldorf-based group (Rheinmetall’s headquarter is in Dusseldorf, Germany) is represented by Rheinmetall Automechanica, based in Mediaș, and the powder factory project in Victoria since 2024.

MSC is one of the world’s largest providers of shipping and logistics services, with an extensive network and expertise in global supply chain management. MSC’s shipping company sails on 300 trade routes and calls at 520 ports, carrying approximately 30 million TEUs annually. The MSC Group, including its passenger divisions, employs 200,000 people worldwide.

Prabhat Jha, CEO of MSC Shipmanagement Limited, the Cypriot subsidiary of the MSC group, announced in 2025 its interest in Mangalia shipyard. “The growth of MSC’s fleet requires a large-scale shipyard for newbuilding programs, currently concentrated in Asia for container ships and in Europe for cruise ships. We intend to consider the shipyard in Mangalia for the construction of future cruise ships, RO-PAX ships, and tugboats”, Prabhat Jha said at that time in a letter addressed to the Romanian authorities.

As reported by Maverick News 30 on 15th April this year, Rheinmetall, the leading weapons producer in Europe, intends to build a “defence ecosystem in Romania” and massively expand its presence in the country with the production of vehicles, military ships, ammunition, air defence systems, and explosives, according to Nick Știrban, Rheinmetall’s representative in Romania. Over 2,500 additional jobs will be created in Romania as part of this expansion.

Rheinmetall already manufactures components in Romania for various vehicles in Mediaș, such as the wheeled armoured vehicle Caracal or Lynx. The company also operates a maintenance centre and service hub in Satu Mare for German equipment sent to Ukraine. In addition, it will build a powder factory for ammunition in the town of Victoria, Brasov County. Aside from its own developments, the company has already developed a network of local suppliers.

“The localisation process through Rheinmetall has already begun. Rheinmetall involves the local industry in the production process, including through technology and know-how transfer”, stated Nick Știrban. Over 100 Romanian companies are integrated into the German company’s partner portfolio, according to the company representative.

In the future, Rheinmetall plans to build a defence ecosystem in Romania. “This will by no means be limited only to vehicles, but will include, for example, military ships, ammunition, air defence systems, or the manufacture of explosives. In this way, Rheinmetall will create over 2,500 additional jobs in Romania, which horizontally will grow exponentially and sustainably by 3-4 times”, he said.

The company aims to create local production units in Romania for ammunition, armoured vehicles, and equipment for the maritime and aerospace industry. “We will not just build factories; we are building the future of Romanian engineering and the defence industry. We want ‘Made in Romania’ to become a standard of excellence in NATO armies. In case of crisis, Romania will not wait for spare parts from abroad, as it will have in-house maintenance and production capacity”, said Nick Știrban.

Team Maverick.