Lurssen celebrates 140th anniversary

Lurssen is one of the world's leading shipyards. Operated by the Lurssen family for four generations, the company originated over 140 years ago. The yacht manufacturer is based in Germany, with headquarters in Bremen-Vegesack and five further yards in northern Germany. Collaborating with some of the world's most famous yacht designers, Lurssen builds superyachts and naval ships of the highest quality for demanding customers all over the world.

Friedrich Lurssen started the company in 1875 at the age of 24. He initially wanted to join his father's boatyard but his father encouraged Friedrich to set up on his own as it would be challenging for one company to feed two families.

Within 11 years he built the very first motor boat, Rems, with Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach in 1886. Named after a tributary of the river Neckar in Germany, the boat was powered by an 1,5 PS gasoline engine.

Otto Lurssen, the son of Friedrich Lurssen, evolved the Lurssen Werft further to an innovative manufacturer of racing boats like the Daimler II (reached a top speed of 35 knots on the Weser), Maybach-Donnerwetter (35 knots) or the Saurer-Lurssen from 1911 that reached a maximum speed of 32 knots. The Saurer-Lurssen won the "Grand Prix de Monte Carlo" off the coast of Monaco.

Friedrich Lurssen (who manages the yard in the 4th generation together with Peter Lurssen) says: "The history of the shipyard is still closely linked to our own family history and that of many of our staff. The family and staff's genuine identification with the shipyard business and an informal company structure with tight employee loyalty have always been supporting pillars of our success. In addition to technical expertise and practical skills, high levels of flexibility and strength of innovation among our workforce have been the decisive drivers of growth in our shipyard business as a specialty supplier of high-technology ship construction since the beginning."

Gert and Fritz-Otto, the third generation of Lurssen family members, became involved in the late 1930s and remained in place after the war years. That period saw the shipyard continue producing powerboats for private clients and the German navy alike. The naval craft included patrol boats, anti-mine vessels, frigates, and corvettes. They remain important contracts for Lurssen.

Many people think of megayachts as thoroughly modern marvels, but the 55m Pegasus II (now Platinum), for example, was delivered in 1962. This side of business has grown tremendously under the guidance of Friedrich and Peter Lurssen, who took over in the late 1980's. Presently 25 of the 100 largest yachts were built by Lurssen. Azzam, the third year running largest yacht of the world, was also constructed by the shipyard. She took over Abramovich's Eclipse in 2013. Lurssen is also responsible for the year's most secretive and largest vessel-the 156m Project Omar, reportedly built for the Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov. As for the other megayachts, their names are well-known: Al Said, Topaz, Al Salamah, Rising Sun, Octopus, Golden Odyssey (formerly known as project Tatiana), Katara...

According to a source close to the story, an 88m project at Lurssen would cost close to 130 million euro depending on interior design. Quatroelle was reportedly sold to a new owner under a year after its delivery at a profit which shows just how popular and desired the Lurssen Yachts have become.

As much as the yachts gain fame for their LOAs, it's important to focus on the people who have made them possible. Lurssen employs more than 1,000 people just at its Bremen facility. Over the years with their help, Lurssen has launched more than 13,000 yachts and ships.

Peter Lurssen, CEO of Lurssen Yachts, said: "As a family company it makes us proud and happy to be able to look back, in a turbulent industry, on 140 years of successful shipbuilding history on the River Weser. At the same time, our company anniversary motivates us as a family business to continue manufacturing unique ships for the global market together with our employees and to successfully live up to our great-grandfather's motto to impress through performance and quality."