Israeli navy - test drives despite lockdown

A strict hygiene concept enabled the last of four corvettes to be handed over to the Israeli navy on time

The German shipbuilding industry has successfully defied the coronavirus pandemic and the lockdown. Although the measures of the Infection Protection Act have presented the entire economy with enormous challenges, the consortium of the Kiel shipyards Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems and German Naval Yards was able to finalise a major project on time: The completion and acceptance of the fourth SA'AR-6 class corvette for the Israeli Navy. And in record time!
It is particularly noteworthy that shipbuilding is an industry in which certain protective measures against the spread of the virus naturally have little or no effect: Production is tied to the industrial facilities on site, and working from home is only possible for planning and administration at best. In this respect, the shipyard industry has been particularly threatened over the past 20 months: where deadlines agreed in pre-corona times cannot be met, penalties, i.e. fines, are threatened. In some cases, orders have even been cancelled.

This often results in staff cutbacks and financial difficulties - and even the threat of insolvency, triggered by a massive slump in sales coupled with spiralling costs. But it was precisely this vicious circle that the two Kiel shipyards were able to break with the timely completion of the last corvette.