Hi, I stumbled over this Forum Yesterday and was looking into the request of the Kaiserwerft Website Info. I researched in the German Google and found out that the Kaiserwerft has filed chapter 7 ( or equvalent, I`m not a Banker ) on December, 01 2008 in Germany. The Company was in the local news in the first half of 2008 for insufficient Funds to continue Production, but was announced over the Hill for the Future. I read in an article of an German Newspaper that there was a Problem with the engine in Cloud 9. The Waranty for the engine was covered by the Manufacturer just for a new engine, and Kaiserwerft had to eat the labor of the exchange!!! 250.000 Euro later and half the workforce in Mallorca to fix Cloud 9, Production at home went sour. Laborforce walked of with no Pay and so it went down the Hill. So that there is already no more Website is a little early, but who knows if it is of other technical reasons. If You need to get in Contact with the Kaiserweft, google it in Germany at GOOGLE.DE As I understood, there is now a Law firm to Contact for information. If you need help, contact me and I can translate or find the Name of the Firm for you. So again, this is not an official announcement for the Company, just what I was reading on the Internet publications of Newspapers in Germany. Thank You, H. Furtner Fort Lauderdale, FL
Hi, I gather that SSW in Bremerhafen has filed the same thing in the last 10 days. This yard whilst mainly commercial has built a number of bigger steel yacht hulls. They have at least 3 uncompleted projects in the yard so it remains to be seen how the owners of these fare with the recent developments.
well, i had been in 2007 personally at the Shipyard, where i talked to the 1st Man of Production, i don't remember his name. Actually i was looking for a job after a first talk in Munich at The Charles Rocco Forte Hotel in centre with the owner. Well i showed the Indian owner Zahid Vohra my drawings Portfolio. He confirmed me that for her 40m Baron Yachts of costing $ 10 millions, the owner should have a minimal of $ 50 millions. Then we combined for a visit at Saal Donau where the Cloud 9 construction was showed to me. I found the cable installations too strange then, but... who i was. The building installations were the same already from PR Marine, in which in 1995 i made some lay-out design to a 90' proposal in a visit, but also this one went in bankrupcy when a yacht felt down a crane and none Design Department was made to hire me instead of using services a UK Naval Architect, with very kitsch interior designs. I met a colleague of Naval Engineering of my ex university also. I remember take launch together the owner in a yard restaurant, it was a blond guy, he had some cars inside, even a white excalibour. They asked about my rented Mercedes, it was funny, because i travelled from Brussels in a plane-train weekend trip of 10000 km to reach there, first time in Munich, no possible would be mine, but they asked as beeing so. Then PR Marine was relaunched many time after in 2003 as beeing Kaiserwerft, which i tried again. Already in 1998, i went there again, it was almost empty, when I saw the owner of the lasts 'Golden Eye' coming with a helicopter to see her launch in water. Kaiserwerft at that time planned to build an entirelly new glassy beautiful building for the Yard since 2008. Probably he didn't made it. The shipyard was in confusion. I saw 2 designers working in a Rhinocerus software, but the offices were too tidy and old. Mr. Vohra was very polite to me and was a simple Man, when we talked. In front of Shipyard had some Audi cars, probably in leasing. He said me that time that the Shipyard was already with many debits and it was difficult finding people to buy the Yachts. I remember going to Düsseldorf Yacht Messe in 2006 i think to see the Catwalk. Actually i liked much more the Kaiserwerft exterior designs than the PR Marine ones. Then i saw in television a reportage about the delivery of the Cloud 9 to the owner in Mallorca. He was unhappy with the results of the materials, even when he chose those, but the quality of finishing work was very good made. It was only a desire problem only like not liking the taste appearance anymore and many things in sitting room were changed, maybe in Shipyard costs. Then after that, i tried the interior designer Cayros / Schnasse of Catwalk, ex BMW designerin, but she was changed to a Munich one. Then she said no to me twice. After that i never heard about the Shipyard anymore. Those news are for me a surprise. More here Looked for more news and found those: http://www.mittelbayerische.de/index.cfm?pid=10063&pk=504782&p=1 Most of old Kaiserwerft machinery, 550 goods, were sold for € 340000. It seems now belonging to a German/Turkey arabian of Nürnberg who is deciding for buying the buildings to rebuild the yachts, but i don't if he starts that or not... He seems having business at Antalaya.
more News... i think those can be good news from the Donaukurier from that time. Well the name of the Production Supervisor was Erwin Schmid. The designerin was ex BMW designer Grischa Alexis Schmidt Maybe those news and models can be a good history archiv.
KaiserWerft could continue in Antalaya? Well, reanalysing the facts, knowing some about the history this Shipyard, and probably due the fact of too much political and institutions burocracy barrier for its expansion in Saal Donau and for not allowing it faster, he probably put it in insolvency, after not selling the 45m Hull, which he went finishing it in Netherlands, even the crises he got, maybe he will make the installations outside of Germany, where the rules are not so lazy and slow strick, left the debits in Germany back and with much less money rescued behind this Turkey Man the rights to have the own machinery transfered to other location. I believe he kept money and will continue from this year or maybe another, of course much smaller, after this change and doing all transfer to finally build his 50m long yachts. At least the site continues working as you see here http://www.kaiserwerft.com/ and with a production location in Atalaya with 16000m². Of course costs in Turkey and salaries are much lower then... Surely he is still in contact with the right arms' men of him.... I think is only a Pause of 2 years. Or is this an expeculation form me only? Who knows where he is and how...
The werft reappered again The company reappered with new projects in site and in new location: Rostock, Germany. Check the Website to see projects now of upto 65m. http://kaiserwerft.com/ I am glad about this continue existance, today since January of 2010 in new hands.
