A major fire broke out at Lürssen’s shipyard in Schacht-Audorf near Rendsburg, Germany, early morning on July 2. The inferno ended up completely destroying an entire hall and a nearly completed yacht, which was identified as Project “Honolulu .” The fire started at around 9 am, triggering an immediate response from the emergency services. It took several hundred firefighters to bring the blaze under control, and they continued with their extinguishing efforts till late at night. Parts of the hall’s structure and the roof had collapsed before, which made it more challenging for the firefighters. The incident required the deployment of two rescue helicopters and ten emergency vehicles to tackle the tricky situation. The Emergency personnel were able to quickly evacuate everyone from the shipyard and a nearby residential area.
The cause of the fire has not been found. It might take a few months for investigators to pinpoint the reason that started the fire. Fortunately, no one was seriously injured in the incident, except for one person who sustained a small injury. However, the Lürssen shipyard has been inflicted with serious damages because of the fire. The incident is expected to cause significant disruptions for the German shipyard, potentially causing long production delays. The new hall in Schacht-Audorf was completely burnt down in the fire, which also destroyed the soon-to-be-delivered superyacht, Project Honolulu.
Scheduled for delivery later this year, the 2,250-ton luxury vessel was nearing completion and is arguably the biggest casualty of the fire. Believed to be a pinnacle of craftsmanship and innovation, the 75-meter vessel worth $250 million was being constructed for an unnamed Saudi Arabian billionaire. There is very little information on the superyacht, but it might be one of the vessels equipped with Lürssen’s fuel cell technology, making it even more difficult for the firefighters to bring the blaze under control. While the facility and the under-construction vessel might be covered under insurance, this incident will seriously damage the image of the shipyard.
Lürssen faced a similar fire six years ago in Vegesack, Germany. It was the largest post-war firefighting operation at that location, which lasted over a week. The fire destroyed a newly built superyacht named Sassi, which caused losses to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars. The swiftness of emergency services and firefighting teams in the recent incident saved the fire from spreading to other buildings and docks. There are two more new buildings at the location belonging to Lürssen, which currently accommodate two very important vessels.
One of them is the 114-meter-long Project “Cosmos,” currently being built for the Japanese billionaire Yusaka Maezawa, while the other one is the 103-meter Project “Jassj.” Damage to those two vessels might have proven to be the death knell for the German shipyard.
