Blohm + Voss GmbH of Hamburg in Germany, is a company of ThyssenKrupp Werften, and an experienced and successful ship designer, weapons systems integrator and builder of naval ship projects for the international market. Founded in 1877, more than 1000 merchant and naval vessels have been delivered for clients world-wide.

With the development of the modular MEKO® system in the 1970s, a completely new design concept was successfully introduced to the international market. To date, a total of 60 MEKO® frigates and corvettes have been ordered from Blohm + Voss and its partner shipyards.

In August 1989, the Blohm + Voss MEKO® 200 design was chosen for the ANZAC frigate program, comprising eight ships for the RAN and two ships for the RNZN. As part of the AUS $ 3.5 billion procurement project, Blohm + Voss delivered the ANZAC design and construction drawing packages for the ten frigates and effected considerable technology transfer to the building yard Tenix in Williamstown, Victoria. The packages included intensive training of Australian engineers in Hamburg and deployment of specialists providing local technical support to the shipbuilder. Blohm + Voss was contractually responsible for meeting the ship main performance parameters. A large number of joint ventures were set up between prestigious international naval component suppliers and local Australian companies so as to meet the required Australian/New Zealand delivery share of 70%.

Today, Blohm + Voss remains committed to the Australian/RAN customer with respect to the ANZAC frigates and continues to support the RAN`S future programs by responding to various requests for information/studies/etc.

For the anticipated LPD and AOR projects, Blohm + Voss has teamed up with Flensburger Schiffbaugesellschaft of Flensburg, Germany, the designer and builder of the latest BERLIN-class AORs for the German Navy.

Our local subsidiary Blohm + Voss Assets, Canberra, is the Design Authority for the ANZAC frigates/platform.

As the lead yard of a consortium to build the four frigates, Blohm + Voss delivered the first of class ship F123 BRANDENBURG Class in 1994 to the German Navy. The Contract for three F124 Type Area Air Defence frigates was also awarded to a consortium under the lead of Blohm + Voss, which delivered the first ship, the SACHSEN, to the German Navy in 2002.

Both the F123 and the F124 class frigates have been built with all the features of the MEKO® design concept.

The F124, as an existing and proven design with a projected life of type of 30 years, is a most suitable contender for the Australian Air Warfare Destroyer platform. The F124 has been designed to accept all worldwide combat systems including the US Aegis System recently announced by the Australian government as the preferred system for the AWD. From the start of the project, the F124 was designed for integration of the complete Aegis combat system. The political decision to incorporate a European based combat system was taken at a very late stage of the project. The F124 has retained considerable platform commonality, particularly in design philosophy, with the ANZAC ship class and has the built-in growth potential to meet foreseeable advances in technology and weapons. Blohm + Voss, again as the lead yard in the building consortium, is involved in a program for five K130 type corvettes for the German Navy. These vessels will be characterised by the MEKO® design features.

In 2003, the first of a series of four MEKO® A-200 SAN type corvettes with significantly reduced radar, acoustic and IR signatures was handed over by Blohm + Voss to the South African Navy.

Additionally, the Royal Malaysian Navy took delivery of the first two of a total of six modern patrol vessels which have been designed by Blohm + Voss. After extensive tests and trials, the MEKO® 100 patrol vessels will be commissioned in Malaysian waters.

Blohm + Voss has also developed innovative designs for future warships, continuing its successful MEKO® design concept of modularization and using innovative design solutions as well as new systems from suppliers of propulsion plants, weapons and sensor technology.

One result of this effort is the MEKO® D (D = DELTA). Named after the innovative hull concept design with the maximum ship beam at the transom, providing favourable resistance behaviour over a greater speed range. The MEKO® D features a modern redundant safety concept incorporating a "two-island concept" ensuring that in the event of damage, vital functions such as power supply, propulsion, steering, communication, etc. can be taken over by the other "island".

The multi-mission frigate MEKO® D frigate is the ideal ship to deal with crisis situations, providing coverage for expeditionary forces, and is very capable of taking active part in coastal actions, while being focussed on improved AAW and ASW capabilities.

Incorporating all the MEKO® D design features, Blohm + Voss has added the MEKO® X as latest member of the MEKO® design familiy. The MEKO® X is envisaged as surface combatant capable of sustained national and coalition operations in a multi-threat scenario with enhanced capabilities in all warfare areas. Emphasis is laid on force AAW operations and support of landing operations, including all aspects of Network Centric Warfare and a broad spectrum of inter-operability concerning joint or combined operations.

Both vessels are laid out for all variants of proplulsion systems including part load electric drive.

Blohm + Voss is backed by the global market strength of its parent company, ThyssenKrupp AG in technological and financial respect. ThyssenKrupp AG employs about 193,000 people generating annual sales of around 37,2 billion euros.

Contact:

Andrea Wessel
Blohm + Voss GmbH
Public Relations
Tel.: 0049 (0) 40 3119 1320
Fax: 0049 (0) 40 3119 3329