MSC is reportedly in talks with German shipyard Meyer Werft to purchase the 80 per cent of the company currently held by the German federal government.
The German government is reportedly unwilling to take the €400 million loss that the yard has incurred, and MSC’s potential investment would see the 230-year-old company return to private ownership.
Whether MSC succeeds in purchasing the German government’s controlling interest in Meyer Werft – other suitors could still come forward – it once again raises the question of how shipyards are managing to lose money when orderbooks are bursting at the seams.
CruiseTimes looked at this in our summer/autumn 2026 issue, exploring the many challenges facing shipyards despite record orders. These include supply chain issues; yards shouldering the financial burden of newbuilds largely up until handover; and geopolitical forces that have weighed heavily on balance sheets – not to mention the rise in Chinese shipbuilding.
Read more in the latest issue of CruiseTimes.
