MSC, Mediterranean Shipping Company, is reportedly in preliminary discussions to acquire the majority stake in German shipbuilder Meyer Werft currently owned by the German federal government and the state of Lower Saxony.
According to Bloomberg, MSC is considering acquiring the roughly 80% government-owned stake in the shipbuilder. Discussions remain preliminary, no binding agreement has been reached, and other potential buyers could still emerge.
If completed, the deal would create an interesting new relationship between one of the world’s largest shipping companies and one of Europe’s major cruise shipbuilders, particularly as MSC Cruises prepares to build an entirely new class of ships at Meyer Werft.
Germany’s federal government and Lower Saxony took a combined 80.73% stake in Meyer Werft in 2024 as part of a financial stabilization package for the company.
The governments provided €400 million in equity and backed 80% of a €2.6 billion credit facility needed to help finance ships already under construction.
Meyer Werft had struggled with rising construction and financing costs following the pandemic, despite maintaining a substantial order book.
The government intervention was intended to stabilize the shipbuilder, protect jobs and eventually return the company to private ownership.
The timing of the reported takeover talks is particularly interesting because MSC Cruises is already preparing to become a major Meyer Werft customer.
In December 2025, MSC Cruises and Meyer Werft announced plans for four new ships, with options for two additional vessels. The potential six-ship agreement is valued at as much as €10 billion.
The ships will introduce MSC’s new New Frontier class, expected to measure approximately 180,000 gross tons and accommodate up to 5,400 passengers.
The first ship is scheduled for delivery in 2030, followed by another each year through 2033. If MSC exercises its two options, additional ships would follow in 2034 and 2035.
As recently as June 2026, MSC Cruises and Meyer Werft said negotiations over the detailed shipbuilding contracts were continuing and had reached an advanced stage.
An MSC investment in Meyer Werft would also be notable because the German shipbuilder works with several major cruise companies.
Its current customers include Carnival Corporation and Disney Cruise Line, with Carnival Festivale among the ships presently under construction in Papenburg.
Royal Caribbean’s Icon-class ships are built by Meyer Turku in Finland, that shipyard is separate from the German Meyer Werft business involved in the reported MSC discussions.
The German operation employs more than 3,200 people work directly at the Papenburg shipyard, while Meyer Werft says more than 20,000 jobs throughout the region are connected to its operations.
