German shipbuilder to take legal action against frigate procurement

German Naval Yards Kiel (GNYK) is set to take legal action against the procurement decision of the German Federal Ministry of Defence to grant the MKS 180 frigate project to a Dutch-led consortium, the company said in a statement on Monday, January 20.

A spokesman confirmed that the shipbuilder has “serious doubts about the legality of the decision” and that it will pursue all legal options available to contest the selection of Damen Shipyards Group and Blohm + Voss as the newbuilding programme’s main contractor and subcontractor, respectively.

GNYK said that it is exercising its right under public procurement law to have the decision reviewed.

The German government had earlier selected the Damen-Blohm + Voss team to build four MKS 180 frigates for the country’s navy with the first vessel scheduled for delivery in 2023. The final parliamentary approval for the decision is expected in the spring of 2020.