Kiebitzberg Schiffswerft Havelberg is taking on a new challenge with the construction of a 23-meter passenger ship with a yacht character for the Baltic Sea. „We want to show that the shipyard is capable of delivering ships of this size,“ said Andreas Lewerken at the keel-laying ceremony on January 20, 2005.

The keel laying ceremony took place in a festive setting with numerous guests in the shipyard's large hall. The client and designer were present, as were representatives from local politics and various subcontractors. The client is the Belis shipping company from the municipality of Timmendorfer Strand, which already operates two passenger ships in Niendorf harbor, where the new ship will also be moored.

Claudia Belis explained the shipyard's choice: „This ship is too small for the really big ones, but too big for the small ones.“ Andreas Lewerken sees this as an opportunity for the future of the shipyard: „So far, we have built in 13 to 15 meter sizes. Larger shipyards start at around 30 meters. We want to position ourselves in between.“ The advantage of the Kiebitzberg shipyard is undoubtedly that the ships can be delivered in their entirety, as furniture construction and thus interior fittings make up part of the company. This has a positive effect on both quality and costs.

Ingo Clausen is the designer of the passenger ship. The design was a synthesis of four points, he explained: 1. the limits in terms of dimensions due to the harbor space as well as financial limits, 2. a yacht-like ship was desired, 3. it must fulfill its purpose as well as the safety regulations and 4. it must be built economically and later also operated.

In order to optimize the ship's sailing characteristics, towing tests were carried out with a model. The result was a design for a yacht with a cruising range of 2,200 nautical miles, „from England to North America“, as Clausen jokingly remarked.

The ship is expected to take around one year to build. The launch is planned for October. It will be a ship „Made in Germany“, emphasized Andreas Lewerken. „It is very important to us that the subcontractors also come from the region.“

Pictures of the keel laying

With this order of a new dimension, the Havelberg shipyard site has gained further security. Just a few years ago, things looked different, as Andreas Lewerken reports: „The shipyard used to belong to the German inland shipyards. After reunification, it had two new owners. Each time, the company went bankrupt again.“ In discussions with local politicians at the time, Lewerken said: „You can't let the shipyard go under!“ „Then why don't you do it?“ came the reply. And he and his wife dared to buy it - initially because they liked the location so much and wanted to use the site for other purposes.

„I come from the wood industry,“ says Lewerken, who came to Havelberg from Thuringia 22 years ago. He started out making wooden toys for galleries, the state art trade and other customers. After reunification, that was no longer possible. He switched to furniture construction, invested and built a new building in the Havelberg industrial estate in 1995. Two years later, the shipyard went bankrupt. „We took a close look at the property and negotiated with the Treuhand, to whom it was returned. We received support from the town of Havelberg.“

Lewerken did not initially plan to build a new ship here, but rather a purely passive business - interior fittings, furniture construction, storage. „Then customers came and said: why don't you do it?“ He had taken on good specialists from his predecessor, so he was actually able to get into shipbuilding relatively quickly. A motor yacht was the first challenge, followed by a catamaran, a sailing yacht and the conversion of a passenger ship. Today, the company has 40 employees. The range of orders is broad. In addition to large orders in furniture and interior design as well as shipbuilding, small orders are also accepted at any time, emphasizes Lewerken.

Text and pictures: Sigrun Tausche