Defense Industry
Rheinmetall and MSC win auction for Romania’s Mangalia shipyard at about €138 million
Rheinmetall says it will take over the Black Sea yard with MSC and use it to build four vessels ordered by Romania, with civil and military work on one dual-use site.
German defence group Rheinmetall and the Swiss shipping company MSC have won the auction for the Mangalia shipyard in Romania, Rheinmetall said in a press release on 19 October. The yard lies south of Constanța on the Black Sea coast. The purchase price is around €138 million, to be paid jointly by the two partners.
According to Rheinmetall, the acquisition is expected to be finalised in a few weeks. The company says the site will be developed as a dual-use location where civil and military shipbuilding can run in parallel, with the yard divided into sectors and security zones.
For Rheinmetall Naval Systems, Mangalia is to play an important role in building four naval vessels commissioned by the Romanian government: two 96-metre offshore patrol vessels and two 43-metre diver support vessels. The company also describes the yard as a hub for further military shipbuilding projects and as a “scalable foundation” for work in south-eastern Europe.
“Following the acquisition, we plan to expand and upgrade the shipyard comprehensively,” said Tim Wagner, CEO of the Naval Systems division. He said the aim was to develop the infrastructure, improve production conditions and adapt capacity to future requirements, so that the site can play “a key role” in the company’s activities in the region.
Rheinmetall has been present in Romania since 2024 through Rheinmetall Automecanica, based in Mediaş, the release says.
Context
The deal gives a Western European defence company a shipbuilding base on the Black Sea coast of NATO member Romania. Geopolitiki recently reported Romania’s defence ministry saying its F-16s had downed drones there: Romanian F-16s shoot down two jet-powered drones over the Black Sea, defence ministry says.
The price, partners and plans above are those stated by Rheinmetall; the release does not describe any approvals still needed. The full text is on Rheinmetall’s website.