Germany’s Lürssen shipyard, builder of large, luxury yachts, was struck by a fire early on Tuesday, July 2, at its yard in Schacht-Audorf alongside the Kiel Canal. The large building hall and a superyacht inside have been destroyed but firefighters were able to contain the fire at the Rendsburg facility.
The fire department reports it received a call of a fire at 9:20 a.m. local time approximately 20 minutes after workers in the hall saw smoke and determined there was “a smoldering fire.” Unconfirmed reports are saying the fire began on the luxury yacht. The yachting trade is suggesting that the vessel is the Honolulu, a 246-foot vessel valued at $250 million being built for a Saudi Arabian billionaire. Yesterday on social media Lürssen posted a picture of a chrome-covered yacht in a dry dock but it is unclear if this is the vessel at this yard.
Witnesses told the local media that there were several explosions in the yard and the fire spread quickly. Lürssen reports evacuation procedures were followed for the approximately 100 employees all told to leave the yard. Smoke from the fire was blowing over the city causing at least 30 residents to be evacuated from their homes.
Operations on the Kiel Canal were briefly stopped while fireboats responded to the scene. The canal was able to maintain its operations as the smoke was blowing in the other direction. The fireboats remained at the shipyard helping to fight the inferno.
The fire department reports over 300 personnel reported to the scene along with two evacuation helicopters and multiple ambulances. One person was taken to a hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation while local reports said as many as 24 others were being checked onsite for exposure to the smoke.
Firefighters were attempting to enter the hall but reported temperatures were reaching 1000 degrees inside forcing them to attempt to control the fire from outside. By mid-morning the roof and some of the exterior walls of the building hall had collapsed. The hall measures over 320 feet (100 meters) in length and stands nearly 100 feet (30 meters).
As of later in the afternoon, the fire crews said it had been fully contained but they expected to be on site into the night and possibly till Wednesday fighting the remaining fire. The site is expected to smolder for days.
Lürssen shipyard Rendsburg which was hit by the fire today (Lürssen file photo)
Lürssen issued a brief statement saying that there were no major injuries and thanking the fast actions of the fire crews. They emphasized the cause of the fire was unknown at this time.
The shipyard is part of the Lürssen group which dates to 1875. They operate multiple locations in Germany with reports saying this yard was focused on large ship construction and undertakes some repair work. Workers at the yard told the local media they were concerned for their jobs as a key portion of the yard appeared to be destroyed.
