Well ahead of schedule At the NVL site in Wolgast, the keel of the second of a total of three new Class 424 fleet service boats was laid today, several months earlier than planned.

The traditional keel-laying ceremony took place in the presence of State Secretary Jochen Schulte, Ministry of Economics, Infrastructure, Tourism and Labour of the State of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Flotilla Admiral Andreas Czerwinski, Head of the Maritime Department of the Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support (BAAINBw), Vice Admiral Axel Deertz, Deputy Inspector of the Navy and Commander of the Fleet and Support Forces, Major General Jürgen Setzer, Deputy Inspector of Cyber and Information Space (CIR) and Commander of the CIR forces, and Klaus Heilinglechner, Mayor of the future sponsor city of Wolfratshausen. The approximately 130 metre-long fleet service boats will be equipped with state-of-the-art sensor technology and will serve the Bundeswehr as reconnaissance platforms for sea-based information gathering.

The CEO of the NVL Group, Tim Wagner, emphasised that today's success was the result of good coordination under time pressure. He added that it was now necessary to continue working precisely, especially at the interfaces. "The project is ambitious and under time pressure; finishing earlier also means making decisions earlier," he warned. Harald Jäkel, Managing Director of Peene-Werft, welcomed the guests and emphasised the quality, craftsmanship and motivation of his employees. He was proud to point out that the 19 sections made of 18 tonnes of steel were ahead of schedule." In 2026, the ship will be moved to Bremen, where it will be joined to the aft section at the Lürssen shipyard. The final outfitting will then take place in Hamburg at Blohm & Voss, where it will be available for the navy and the CIR command in 2030. Flotilla Admiral Czerwinski was also full of confidence: "I am extremely pleased that, together with the contractor, we have succeeded in reaching this important milestone in the project even ahead of the actual schedule. This shows that all sides have understood that time has top priority," he said. The Commander of the Fleet expressed his delight at the laying of the keel of a new unit somewhat more cautiously, as he was used to "having to be patient", but was nevertheless pleased that this unit was making progress in planning and production.

The early completion is also due to the release of capacity from the cancelled Frigate 126 programme, but this should not detract from the success. The three Class 424 fleet service boats are an essential part of the fulfilment of the Cyber and Information Space task force, i.e. for reconnaissance in the electromagnetic spectrum. Major General Setzer was present at the ceremony as a representative of this organisational area and left no doubt in his speech how important the ship is in the growing threat situation. The mayor of the town of Wolfratshausen was delighted to be able to take over the sponsorship of the new unit following the sponsorship of the "Oker" of the old FD boat class. So the name is "Isar", that much can be revealed after the first keel laying of the "Oker". It is already the second "Isar" in the history of the German Navy, although the first "Isar", a minesweeper tender, has nothing at all in common with today's unit in terms of shape and mission.

The actual ceremony marked the symbolic start of the actual shipbuilding process. The highlight of the ceremony was the placing of the lucky coins on the keel laying plate by the guests of honour and the wedging of the plate under the keel laying section. Shipyard employees Andre Ettinger and Franko Mähl had the honour of performing the symbolic hammer blow. To commemorate this ceremony, all guests received a plaque with the silhouette of the ship. Text/ Photo: hsc