Germany, Turkey to join submarine project in Indonesia

A Düsseldorf-based newspaper, Handelsblatt, has reported that ThyssenKrupp, a steel company that also produces underwater craft, and a Turkish partner are in negotiations to partner up to take part in Indonesia's submarine project.

According to the report, ThyssenKrupp Marine System (TKMS), a subsidiary of the steel company which established a regional office in Turkey in 2013 to reinforce its operations, and a Turkish company, whose name has not been officially revealed, are planning to bid for the Indonesia's submarine project.

The joint move comes as competition with the TKMS's French rival DCNS as well as Chinese and South Korean companies that are also expected to submit proposals for the project.

Despite the fact that the name of the Turkish partner remains undisclosed, it had been previously reported last month that Turkey's Gölcük Shipyard in Kocaeli province submitted a proposal to the Indonesian army for a Type 214 submarine. According to the reports, the Gölcük Shipyard will host a group of officials coming from the Indonesian capital, Jakarta.

For almost the past 50 years, the Turkish navy has been ordering submarines from the Ruhr Group's shipyards, which today operates under TKMS.

Despite the growing displeasure, Turkey is now expected to cooperate with the TKMS to enter the export business. Together they want to sell submarines to Indonesia, according to the German newspaper, which is believed to have received the Intel from industry insiders.

ThyssenKrupp, which has operations in component technology, elevator technology, and the steel and materials industries, has been operating in Turkey since the late 19th century as the company's ancestor Krupp was active in the country in 1868.

Moreover, Blohm + Voss, the company that built Mustafa Kemal Atatürk's yacht Savarona, was a ThyssenKrupp Group company.

The group's activities focus on the supply of components for the Turkish automotive industry, plant technology and recycling facilities as well as passenger transportation systems including elevators, escalators, moving walkways and passenger boarding bridges.

ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems, with premises in Germany, is part of the Business Area Industrial Solutions of the ThyssenKrupp Group. The company participates in projects with the products in the inventory of ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems and provides systems, spare parts and service support to the Turkish Naval Forces Command.