Nordseewerke

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Nordseewerke in 2003

Nordseewerke GmbH (NSWE) is a shipyard located in Emden, Germany. It is now a subsidiary of ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems AG (TKMS). The name Nordseewerke means "North Sea works" in German. The shipyard employs some 1,400 people and is the second-largest plant in Emden, following Volkswagen.

[edit] History

Nordseewerke was founded on March 11, 1903 and is currently one of the oldest among the still-existing shipyards in Germany. The company built many ships for Kaiserliche Marine during World War I and the Kriegsmarine during World War II as well as for the nowadays Federal Navy.

The shipyard has also constructed ships for use by other navies, like the Kobben (Type 207) and Ula (Klasse 210) class submarines for the Royal Norwegian Navy, which were made to operate in shallow, coastal waters. In the past 20 years, submarines were also exported to South Africa, Argentina and Israel.

Besides Navy ships, Nordseewerke builds container vessels and other freight ships. In 1971, the cruise liner "Sea Venture" (later renamed into "Pacific Princess") was constructed. The ship is well-known as the film spot of "Love Boat".