Rheinmetall Says Mangalia Will Become a Dual-Use Shipyard with MSC
German arms manufacturer Rheinmetall confirmed that it plans to acquire the Mangalia shipyard in Romania together with MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company. It reports the yard, which was once one of the largest shipbuilders in Europe, will serve roles for both civil and military shipbuilding.
The court-appointed administrator for the shipyard confirmed 10 days ago that Rheinmetall had won the bidding in the fifth court-ordered auction for the yard. It placed a successful bid of €134 million ($154 million), promising to revitalize the yard’s operations. The yard had been driven into bankruptcy and administration after a dispute emerged between Damen and the Romanian government following legislative changes to how private partnerships were managed in the country. Damen was the largest creditor of the yard.
Today’s announcement was the first confirmation that MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company had joined with Rheinmetall in the bid and would take ownership of a portion of the yard. Rheinmetall says the site, which is located south of Constanta, will be subdivided, but provided no details on how the operation would be managed.
MSC had first been linked to the yard as a possible buyer in June 2025. Media reports said MSC had told the government of Romania it intends to consider the shipyard for the future construction of cruise ships, ro-pax, and tugboats. The company also said it was willing to pay in advance for ship repair work to provide the yard funds for hiring back employees. MSC has not publicly confirmed its role in the acquisition or its plans for the yard either as a repair facility or for new construction. Rheinmetall had said in May that it was exploring sharing the ownership with MSC.
Rheinmetall says it will use the yard for an important role in the building of four naval vessels that have been commissioned by the Romanian government. The German company won the order, reportedly valued at €920 million in May 2026, promising a local component to the work. The contract calls for the construction of two 96-meter offshore patrol vessels as well as two 43-meter diver support vessels.
The company says it plans to expand and upgrade the shipyard. They report that they intend for the Mangalia shipyard to serve as a hub for further military shipbuilding projects. They expect the deal to acquire Mangalia to be finalized in a few weeks.
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Rheinmetall got into shipbuilding with the acquisition of NVL, the military part of the Lürssen Group, which was first announced in 2025 and closed in February of this year. The company said in May that it had also made a non-binding offer to acquire German Naval Yards, based in Kiel, Germany, as it looks to compete with TKMS (Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems) in the growing market for naval shipbuilding and especially in Germany.
Damen had taken on the Mangalia shipyard in 2018 in a joint venture with the Romanian government, in which the Dutch shipbuilder owned 49 percent. The yard had been operated by South Korea’s Daewoo Heavy Industries from 1997 to 2018 as Daewoo-Mangalia. Historically, it has been a major employer in Romania, and the government has welcomed the acquisition led by Rheinmetall, noting that the operations should be quickly restored after the bankruptcy of the past two years.
