Germany’s Strela Shiprepair Yard makes a name for itself in the CTV repair market

Relatively new German ship repairer Strela Shiprepair Yard has only been in operation for just over one year, but in that time has managed to make a name for itself in the niche market of the repair and maintenance of crew transfer vessels (CTV) for the offshore wind turbine market in the southern Baltic. 

Strela Shiprepair is located at the former Volkswerft Shipyard in Stralsund, now known as the Volkswerft Maritime Industrial and Commercial Park. The repairer was established in April 2022 and started operations at the beginning of 2023.

In its first year of operation, the yard repaired a total of 40 vessels, including coasters, ferries and workboats and has now more than doubled its workforce from 20 people to 45 people. Initially, the yard was expecting to work on just 12 vessels. One of the largest vessels drydocked in 2023 was the 138m-long, 12,7976dwt 2008-built general cargoship BBC Georgia, owned by Germany’s Bockstiegel Reederei, based in Emden.

CTVs are among the hardest working vessels in the offshore wind farm sector in the southern Baltic. They operate between the service harbours and the wind farms at sea. As such, their intensive use requires a high level of maintenance and repair.

Since last year the operators of the CTVs in the southern Baltic have been able to avail themselves of a new local ship repair facility that meets their exact requirements, with the first CTVs arriving for repair in mid-2023.

“Stralsund’s proximity to the offshore wind farms, especially off the coast of Rügen, means short distances combined with comprehensive service for shipowners,” said Oliver Schepers, managing director of Strela Shiprepair, commenting on the sharp increase in repair contracts being signed by the yard in such a short space of time.

A total of eight CTVs have already been successfully repaired at the Stralsund repairer since March last year. A recent visitor was the CTV Njord Baslder, owned by Njord Offshore. The scope of repairs on these workboats usually revolves around propulsion and machinery repairs. 

Strela Shiprepair is now aiming to become the “shipyard of choice” for the growing fleet of support vessel that service the offshore wind energy sector on Germany’s northeast coast and continuously expand its position. In 2023, the yard established the “Strela Workboats” division. The “Harbour & Voyage Repairs” was also established around the same time. Riding squads of up to ten technicians travel to vessels in many North European harbours and undertake maintenance and repair work on site.

The shiprepairer is looking to recruit more mechanical engineers and project managers with experience in the workboat field to be able to cope with the wide range of tasks and future economic growth.

Strela Shiprepair’s drydocking facilities include a Syncrolift shiplift and transfer system, with three lifting platforms capacity of accommodating vessels up to a maximum length of 260m and a 26,000 ton lifting capacity; dry repair berths, two mobile cranes, five Kirow transporters and a 720m repair quay, with a 50 ton capacity crane.