The Fassmer Group expands its production capacities and establishes a new site in Stralsund.

The company is leasing the corresponding space and halls on the Volkswerft shipyard site from the Hanseatic city of Stralsund. The aim is to start production of the new fisheries research vessel WALTHER HERWIG there from the beginning of 2026.

With the new location in Stralsund, the Barrel maker is expanding its presence on the Baltic Sea and reactivating the Volkswerft site at the same time. The region is thus regaining an active maritime industrial centre - with prospects for employment, value creation and regional cooperation.

"With our commitment in Stralsund, we want to expand production capacities, optimise processes and make a sustainable contribution to the further development of the maritime industry in Germany. In the long term, we aim to firmly establish ourselves there and develop the Stralsund site into an important part of our shipyard structure," said Jan Oskar Henkel, Managing Director of Fr. Barrel maker GmbH & Co. KG.

Stralsund's Lord Mayor Alexander Badrow is delighted: "This is good news for the people of Stralsund at Christmas: I am delighted that the high-performance shipbuilder Fassmer has recognised the advantages of the location for itself and has leased the large Hall 290 from the Hanseatic city. And welcome to our Volkswerft family!"

The construction of the WALTHER HERWIG marks the start of the new site: the ship is being built on behalf of the Federal Agency for Agriculture and Food (BLE) and will be used for fisheries research in future. The new building will replace the previous research vessel WALTHER HERWIG III and will fulfil the latest scientific, technical and ecological requirements. Construction in Stralsund offers a number of advantages: The work can be carried out in modern halls regardless of the weather, the close proximity to the supplier industry facilitates coordination and the cooperation between the shipyard and regional partner companies is being sustainably expanded.

In the long term, Fassmer plans to realise further new construction and equipment projects at the Stralsund site. Additional uses - for example in the areas of maintenance, repair and hull production - are also being examined.

Text: Barrel maker/hsc

Photo: Hanseatic City of Stralsund