With a key points paper signed November 15th, the course has been set for the future civilian use of the southern area of the Naval Arsenal Warnowwerft. After ships and boats from the German Navy and NATO allies have been repaired in the northern part of the property for more than a year, converter platforms for offshore wind farms are to be manufactured in the southern part by a private investor. In addition, a logistics port is to be created as a so-called NATO deployment hub.
The currently unused southern area was already a focus during Defense Minister Boris Pistorius’ visit to the Warnow Shipyard in September this year. After previous discussions with possible investors and representatives of the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, the Minister of Defense was able to present a key points paper today for future use in the presence of the Prime Minister of the State of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Manuela Schwesig, the state ministers Reinhard Meyer (Economy) and Dr. Till Backhaus (infrastructure) and Dr. Christoph Krupp, spokesman for the board of the Federal Real Estate Agency (BImAfederal agency for Real Estate tasks), sign. From the investor side, representatives from the Meyer Group and the Smulders Group took part in the event.
The key issues paper not only takes into account the security and military policy interests of the Federal Republic of Germany and its transatlantic and European allies. It also enables the site to be used temporarily by a private investor group: “Today is a good day for Germany and for Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania,” explained the Defense Minister in his opening statement.
In his statement, Pistorius further reiterated the constructive cooperation between the federal government, the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, and the investors and thanked everyone involved for the work they have done.
The naval arsenal in Rostock ensures the effective repair of maritime weapon systems of the Bundeswehr and its allies. Due to the location with direct access to the Baltic Sea, a logistics port is being built on the southern site as a NATO deployment hub. From here, troops and material can be relocated and supplies can be ensured in Central and Eastern Europe. With the deployment hub, Germany provides a central logistical base for the defense of the eastern flank of the alliance area, Pistorius said in his press statement. In addition, Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine would have led to a reassessment of the risks of resource dependency.