Hogan Lovells advises Lürssen on the sale of its naval division NVL to Rheinmetall

Hogan Lovells advises Lürssen on the sale of its naval division NVL to Rheinmetall

Press releases | 17 September 2025

Led by Dr. Christoph Louven (Senior Counsel) and Birgit Reese (Partner), global law firm Hogan Lovells is advising Lürssen Maritime Beteiligungen GmbH & Co KG on the sale of its naval division NVL to German defence group Rheinmetall.

The family-owned Lürssen Group will focus exclusively on the construction of civilian mega yachts in the future. The sale is expected to be formally completed in the coming weeks; the transaction is subject to approval by the competition authorities.

NVL employs around 2,100 people worldwide and generated a turnover of around EUR 1 billion in the 2024 financial year. NVL operates four shipyards in northern Germany (Peene-Werft in Wolgast, Blohm+Voss and Norderwerft in Hamburg, Neue Jadewerft in Wilhelmshaven) as well as additional shipyards at international locations. 

Friedrich Lürßen, Managing Partner of Lürssen Maritime Beteiligungen GmbH & Co KG, says: 

"With the Hogan Lovells team – led by Dr. Christoph Louven – we had a reliable partner at our side in this complex transaction, who always supported us in a focussed manner with legal and strategic advice. The cooperation was always professional; the very committed and competent team contributed to a successful transaction."

Dr. Christoph Louven and Birgit Reese added:

"It is a great privilege for us to assist Lürssen Group in all phases of this complex and strategic transaction."

Lürssen was founded in 1875 and is headquartered in Bremen-Vegesack. The North German shipyard group currently employs around 4,100 people worldwide. Hogan Lovells is advising its long-standing client Lürssen Group comprehensively on all legal aspects of the transaction.

Hogan Lovells team for Lürssen Maritime Beteiligungen GmbH & Co KG

Dr. Christoph Louven (Senior Counsel), Birgit Reese (Partner),  Dr. Tobias Böckmann (Counsel), Tobias Flasbarth (Counsel, Hamburg), Yannic Venus (Senior Associate, Hamburg) (Corporate M&A, Dusseldorf);

Dr. Martin Sura (Partner), Philipp Reckers (Senior Associate), Dr. Anne-Kathrin Lauer (Senior Associate) (Antitrust / Foreign Direct Investment, Dusseldorf);

Dr. Marcus Schreibauer (Partner), Sarah-Lena Kreutzmann (Counsel), Dr. Michael Thiesen (Senior Associate) (IP/IT/Privacy & Cybersecurity, Dusseldorf);

Dr. Heiko Gemmel (Partner), Anne-Svenja de Kiff (Counsel) (Tax, Dusseldorf);

Dr. Tobias Strohmeier (Partner), Dr. Christopher Walter (Associate) (Real Estate, Dusseldorf).