Author: FSG

Flensburg – The take over of Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft (FSG) by Siem Industries Inc., which was announced on September 25th this year, has today been executed. Peter Sierk, Managing Director of FSG, confirms: “I am very happy for our yard that the negotiations during the last weeks have affirmed the take over and have come to a positive result. With Siem Industries, FSG now finally has a new owner, as expected.”

With the closing procedure being completed today, Sierk sees the yard on the right track: “It is very good for our employees that Siem Industries now is on board and we will together sail into calmer and safer waters.” That for Siem Industries taking over the Flensburg yard is more than in investment is reflected by the future staffing of the Supervisory Board: also Mr. Kristian Siem himself will be a member. Peter Sierk: “I know from many talks with Kristian Siem that it is very important for him to contribute his experience, his know-how and his worldwide network into our operations.”

Already on Monday, November 3rd, the new Supervisory Board will meet to keep the Flensburger shipbuilders on course and to bring in new ideas. Peter Sierk: “We want to focus on our core competencies and also in future win new customers and projects in the worldwide offshore market. The future of our yard will remain to be in the offshore sector, where with the support and back-up by Siem Industries we will globally be even stronger.”

For the employees of FSG, this message at the end of the year is a very positive and reassuring one, because Siem Industries wants to hold on to the site in Flensburg in its entirety. Sierk: “Hardly ever before a take over has meant so much safety for a location. I am very happy for Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft and its employees that the hard times have found a happy ending. We are now in a consolidating development to set new goals mainly in the offshore market. For all parties involved it must be clear that with the investment in FSG, Siem Industries has put a lot of trust into the employees and the Management, which now must be justified.”

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Flensburg – The German Shipyard Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft (FSG) has a new owner: The Norwegian controlled Siem Industries will take over command of the shipyard, including all its employees.

Peter Sierk and Frank Bywater, the two Managing Directors of FSG, welcome these recent developments. To them it is a necessary and just step in the right direction. “We are very glad about the new perspectives that open up, as a consequence of this decision. We welcome Siem Industries on board: This time not as a client, but as the new and rightful owner of the FSG. This means a great chance for all of us – the shipyard and its employees.”

With the take-over, Sierk and Bywater expect the FSG to get further established and to hold a stronger position on the offshore-market: “Siem Industries is a successful, globally expanding and f inancially strong family-owned enterprise. It allows us – the Flensburger Shipyard –, to continue our successful developments in the global offshore-market.”

Siem Industries is a globally operating corporation with diversified industrial interests, which can be mainly found in f ive industrial areas: oil and gas services industry, ocean transport of refrigerated cargoes and automobiles, potash-mining, f inance and Swedish industries. The Siem Group of companies (including subsidiaries and aff iliates) operates 145 vessels and owns a controlling interest in one of the most successful Offshore Shipping Companies on a global scale (Siem Offshore) and the oil service company SubSea 7.

Particularly these offshore activities have proven valuable, as demonstrated by its increasing growth.

The transaction is subject to certain conditions, and is expected to close within the end of October.

The proper foundation for the sustainable development and positive outlook for FSG was built, when Siem Offshore ordered two well-intervention-vessels at FSG, in February this year. Lastly, the international network of the new owner, speak for the positive prospects coming along with this well thought-through and deliberate decision.

In the past 143 years, FSG sold, constructed and built more than 760 vessels. Only in the last 14 years, they became the global market leader in building custom-made RoRo-vessels. This position was further enforced with their latest order, when FSG was tasked to build the worldwide first Ro-Ro-Ferry driven by LNG, for the Australian SeaRoad shipping company. Now, FSG concentrates since three years on the seminal offshore-market and was able to win international clients for building heavy lift vessels, seismic vessels and well intervention vessels.

To date the corporation has the following order-book: one RoPax Ferry for CMAL (Scotland), a second seismic vessel for WesternGeco (England), two offshore-well-intervention-vessels for Siem Offshore (Norway) as well as an innovative LNG based Ro-Ro-Ferry for SeaRoad (Australia). With these upcoming projects, FSG will be operating at full capacity until the 3rd quarter of 2016.

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Flensburg: Flensburger-Schiffbau-Gesellschaft (FSG) recently marked the start of a new era by successfully handing over Amazon Warrior to its customer WesternGeco.

“In the specialised shipbuilding sector, this is the most important ship we have built in
the past 20 years. She has opened a door for us into a market segment which will help to secure the future of our concern”, said FSG Managing Director Peter Sierk. Speaking during the hand-over ceremony he also recalled the orders signed just this spring for two further offshore ships for Siem Offshore for charter to Helix Energy Solutions. “We are making our mark in this market segment, drawing attention to ourselves because of our outstanding performance and working to create follow-up orders. We are very proud of all of this”, the yard chief said.

On behalf of all the shipbuilders in Flensburg Sierk thanked the company. It has however been demonstrated yet again, Sierk went on, that high quality, absolute contract and deadline reliability, broad-based engineering competence, passion and tailor-made ship designs provided a healthy foundation on which Flensburg shipbuilders could build.

The AMAZON WARRIOR is an Amazon-class vessel that features the world´s first custom-built hull and propulsion system, developed exclusively for seismic operations using a WesternGeco proprietary design. As far as efficiency, safety, reliability and durability are concerned; this vessel meets the highest of demands and supports secure operation anywhere the ship operates, including the Polar Regions, even in the most inhospitable weather conditions.

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Flensburg: Amazon Warrior only left the outfitting quay at Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft (FSG) a short while ago. Today her sister Amazon Conqueror (FSG Hull No. 763) berthed there for completion by autumn after a successful launch by the shipbuilders in Flensburg. Both newbuildings are special offshore seismic ships for WesternGeco and will in future search for oil and gas reserves below the seabed of the world’s oceans.

FSG has already said it regards the order for these ships as marking its successful entry into the global offshore business sector. However, in the light of these and further prototypes which the yard has taken into its construction portfolio over the past two years, one particular aspect carries particular weight – quality. FSG Managing Director Peter Sierk told the many guests and employees gathered for today’s official launch of Amazon Conqueror that “despite all the difficulties that can crop up with new projects, the shipbuilders of Flensburg have, during this difficult period, again delivered top-quality ships to the satisfaction of our customers and intends to go on doing that, as today’s launch shows”. Sierk had special praise for his shipyard’s entire work force, saying they had all pulled together and had delivered the high-quality work which the customer had asked for. “We can be proud of what we have achieved to-date”, he said.

Sierk had special thanks for the representatives of WesternGeco. “Placing this order with us when it did was an enormous vote of confidence in advance by WesternGeco – a world market leader”, he said. “The most important thing for me with this project is that we were able to justify this trust with our performance”. The delivery of Amazon Warrior and the launch now of Amazon Conqueror show “we can do offshore”, he declared.

Amazon Warrior and Amazon Conqueror are seismic ships which are 127 metres long and 28 metres broad and the biggest in the customer’s fleet. As far as efficiency, comfort, reliability and durability are concerned, they meet the highest of demands and guarantee safe operation anywhere on the planet, including the Polar regions and, even there, in the most inhospitable of weather conditions.

Ships of this type spend months, even years, at sea without a break. That’s why WesternGeco places a lot of value on accommodation and onboard working areas. The interior of each ship covers about 7,000 square metres and there is room for 76 single cabins, leisure and community areas (such as a cinema, sauna, fitness rooms, game room, galley with self-service area) and a large computer centre.

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