Pella Sietas

The oldest existing shipyard in Hamburg until November 2013, it was founded in 1635, making it one of the oldest companies in the city. From its inception, the company was continuously owned by the founding family, in the ninth generation by 2009. Wooden boats were built in the early years, later followed by brigs and other types of ships. In the early 20th century, production shifted from wood to steel vessels. From the 1950s, the shipyard focused on constructing ships in sections. In recent years, small to medium-sized container vessels were built.

After the shipyard experienced financial difficulties due to rising steel prices, the rapid fall in demand for container ships and miscalculation of costs, the shipyard's largest creditor, HSH Nordbank took over management in early March 2009, the first time the company was managed by someone outside of the founding family since 1635.[7]

After the global recession in 2009, container shipping demand fell sharply, and J.J. Sietas had to contend with numerous cancellations and a dwindling backlog, eventually turning away from container ship work and concentrating on specialty shipbuilding niches. These included heavy lift vessels, ferries, and offshore vessels. The last container ship was completed in November 2009. On November 6, 2009, the 393rd and last container ship, or feeder, was delivered. In December 2010, Sietas received an order for the first German-built offshore wind power transport and installation vessel, named Aeolus, which was completed in February 2014 for the Dutch Van Oord group. This ship was both the last and biggest ship built in the shipyard, before the takeover by the Russian Pella group in April 2014.[8]

At November 17, 2011 due to excessive debts, an application for bankruptcy was made; insolvency proceedings were made on 1 February 2012. Following the proceedings, the Sietas shipyard was sold to Pella, Norderwerft was sold to Bremer Lürssen, and Neuenfelder Maschinenfabrik (NMF), which makes cranes, was approved for acquisition by the Norwegian TTS Group ASA.

In February 2014, the Sietas shipyard was property of the Terra Line GmbH in Hamburg, owned by the St. Petersburg-based Pella Shipyard. Under the agreement, the yard would continue to operate for at least eight years, and 120 employees were retained. The name of the shipyard company was changed after the takeover to Pella Sietas GmbH.

The first ship constructed entirely in the new shipyard was a small passenger ferry named Elbphilarmonie for Hadag Hamburg.[9] In addition, repair services for Hamburg ferries and barges were developed. A second ferry named Kehrwieder was also completed in 2018. Since then, several ships' sections have been made for the Meyer shipyard in Papenburg for large cruise ships, and modular sections for a passenger ferry on Lake Constance.[10][11]

The new administration filed for insolvency in July 2021, due to cash flow problems.[12] Ferry in Constance Lake won't be finished by Pella Sietas, because it has Enter Prohibition and stayed more than 1 year incomplete. The Stadtwerke Konstanz, according to its own statements, want to have the gas ferry completed in any case - by whoever. It is waiting for an official notification from the liquidator that "Pella Sietas" will not be able to complete the contract. The insolvency administrator can only make this announcement at the beginning of October, when the insolvency proceedings are officially opened. Bankruptcy payments are only available for employees until the end of September 2021.[13] On Middle September 2021 all Employees were dismissed, remaining only few for Security, the Ferry was cancelled too. The Insolvent Money was finished.

According to the insolvency administrator, the some 30 workers remained are currently only entrusted with maintenance and clean-up work. Guarding an almost finished dredger for the federal government at B+V, moved to Blohm + Voss since a while, because of the silting up of the Sietas shipyard basin, is also one of their tasks. According to lawyer Ahrendt who wants to do everything possible to ensure that the dredger is still built. Whether he could still get money out of the Russian parent company Pella Shipyards for this is questionable. “The ship needs to be completed. Anything else would not be an option, because otherwise we would have a steel ruin costing 100 million euros, which would cause considerable economic damage, ”Ahrendt told. He is therefore holding talks with the subcontractors whose orders have not yet been processed. Negotiations are also being held with several investors about the shipyard site. The city of Hamburg plans to use the area for industrial purposes, while the Sietas Yardnow is a Steel Ruin. Among the several Interesses in Machinery, one Garden and Construction small Company would like to build Boats and Windmills at the Yard.

• 375 Jahre Sietas Werft. In: Schiff & Hafen, Heft 10/2010, S. 21–90, Seehafen-Verlag, Hamburg 2010, ISSN 0938-1643
• Eckhard-Herbert Arndt: Neue Hoffnung für Traditionswerft. In: Hansa, Heft 1/2012, S. 24/25, Schiffahrts-Verlag Hansa, Hamburg 2012, ISSN 0017-7504

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• Pella Sietas GmbH