Peters Werft

What Peters Werft does

Peters Werft is a family-owned German shipyard founded in 1871 and headquartered in Wewelsfleth on the Elbe River between Hamburg and the North Sea. The company operates an integrated shipyard with two covered drydocks (up to 135m x 22m), two slips, five berths totaling 500 running meters, five cranes rated 50-75 tons, and over 2,000m² of in-house workshops covering mechanical, electrical, carpentry, welding, and paint disciplines. Over its 150+ year history, Peters Werft has built more than 690 vessels spanning container ships, ferries, passenger vessels, multi-purpose and special-purpose ships, government and naval vessels, research ships, and megayachts up to 138m in length and 22m in width.

The company generates revenue across five primary service lines — new builds, refits, conversions, repair and maintenance, and historic vessel restoration — each delivered on a custom project-by-project basis with quote-driven pricing. Go-to-market is direct enterprise sales: the shipyard bids on public tenders for German Navy, German Coast Guard, and German Federal Police contracts, while serving commercial shipping operators (e.g., FRS, Conmar, Arklow) and ultra-high-net-worth individuals through its Kusch Yachts megayacht division established in 2000. Notable deliveries include German Navy task force supply vessels (A515 TENDER MAIN at 100.6m), the Schmidt Ocean Institute research vessel Falkor (83.0m, 2012), the German Federal Police patrol vessels BP24-BP26, and the restoration of the Four-masted Bark PEKING (115.0m) for the German Harbor Museum Hamburg completed in 2020. The company holds ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 certifications and participated in EU-funded digitalization initiatives.

Peters Werft is privately held with no disclosed institutional investment, operates as a family business under Managing Partner Sebastian Dethlefs (who assumed full responsibility from Mark Dethlefs in 2023), and markets itself as "Tailor-Made in Germany" with a 24-hour emergency repair service and mobile on-site repair capabilities. The combination of a diversified service portfolio, government qualification credentials, strategic Elbe-Kiel Canal location, and a long-running megayacht franchise forms the basis of its competitive positioning. Revenue is not publicly disclosed.

Name

Peters Werft

Legal name

Peters Werft

Website

https://peters-werft.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1871

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Peters Werft is a family-owned German shipyard founded in 1871 in Wewelsfleth, building, repairing, converting, and restoring vessels up to 138m for the German Navy, Coast Guard, Federal Police, commercial shipping operators, research institutes, and UHNW megayacht clients via its Kusch Yachts partnership.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Shipbuilding & Repair Services

NAICS

Ship Building and Repairing (336611)

SIC

Ship & Boat Building & Repairing (3730)

akta.pro primary industry

Hull, Structure & Steelwork Repair (TLAKAKAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Prefab Hull Blocks & Modular Ship Sections (IMAJAKAE), Naval & Government Vessel Maintenance & Modernization (TLAKAKAB), Dry Docks & Floating Docks (Graving, Floating, Syncrolift) (IMAJALAA), Mechanical Systems Repair (Engines, Propulsion, Pumps) (TLAKAKAF), Naval MRO, Modernization & Retrofit Kits (IMABAKAN)

Keywords

• Shipbuilding services
• Vessel repair maintenance
• Ship conversion refit
• Megayacht construction
• Historic vessel restoration

Headquarters

HQ city

Dersau

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. New Vessel Construction: Construction of new vessels including container ships, passenger vessels, multi-purpose vessels, special purpose ships, and megayachts under one-time project contracts. Ship sizes up to 138 meters in length and 22 meters in width can be accommodated.
2. Repair and Maintenance Services: Comprehensive repair services including drydock repairs, maintenance, and 24-hour overhauling services. Mobile repair services are also offered where work can be performed on-site.
3. Conversion Services: Conversion services for yachts, vessels, and suction dredgers including technical conversions, interior conversions, and value-enhancing modifications. Examples include converting cruise tonnage into motor yachts.
4. Refit Services: Refit services for vessels requiring modernization, upgrades, or complete overhauls with 24-hour service availability and complete service from single source.
5. Historic Vessel Restoration: Restoration of historic vessels including the Four-masted Bark PEKING converted to a stationary museum ship for the German Harbor Museum in Hamburg.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Peters Werft is a traditional German shipyard providing new vessel construction, refits, conversions, repairs, maintenance, restoration, and project planning for commercial, government, military, research, historic, and megayacht clients. The shipyard accommodates vessels up to 138 meters in length and 22 meters in width, and operates a 24-hour service for overhauling and repair jobs with mobile on-site repair capabilities. Services cover the entire vessel lifecycle from initial concept through completion, including consultation, engineering, blueprint creation, and execution.

Product overview

Peters Werft is a traditional German shipyard (founded 1871) offering a comprehensive suite of shipbuilding and maritime services. The company operates as a single integrated shipyard with distinct service lines: New Builds (container vessels, passenger ships, multi-purpose vessels, special purpose ships, and Kusch Yachts megayachts), Refits (including yacht conversions), Conversions, Repair & Maintenance, Restoration of historic vessels, and Project Planning. The company maintains in-house facilities including covered dry docks, slips, berths, and workshops for mechanical engineering, plumbing, electrical engineering, carpentry, shipbuilding, welding, and painting. Peters Werft has built over 690 vessels in its 150-year history and maintains a partnership with Kusch Yachts for megayacht construction.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Kusch Yachts: Megayacht building, conversion, refit and repair operations partnered with Peters Werft since 2000.

Products and services

• New Builds Shipbuilding services for vessels up to 138 meters in length and 22 meters in width, including container vessels, passenger ships, multi-purpose vessels, special purpose ships, and megayachts (Kusch Yachts). Over 690 new buildings have been built in the company's 150-year history, with environmentally friendly diesel-electric pod drive integration available.
• Refits Flexible refit services including technical and interior conversions, specializing in converting smaller cruise tonnage or tugs into private or commercial motor yachts. Offers 24-hour service for overhauling and repair jobs with complete service from a single source.
• Conversions Comprehensive conversion services for yachts, vessels, and suction dredgers, including consultation, planning, and completion. Notable projects include conversion of research ship 'Solea' for private use and dredger 'Josef Möbius'.
• Repair & Maintenance Flexible repair services for ships up to 22 meters width at the intersection of international Elbe and Kiel Canal shipping lanes. Offers mobile repair service for on-site work and 24-hour overhauling support.
• Restoration Historic ship restoration services including structural modifications, systems upgrades, and museum-quality preservation work. Notable project: restoration of four-masted bark 'PEKING' (2017-2020) converted into a stationary museum ship for the German Harbor Museum in Hamburg.
• Project Planning Engineering expertise from initial concept through completion, including development, coordination, engineering data compilation, and blueprint creation for new building, conversions, and repairs.
• Kusch Yachts Megayacht Services Megayacht brand established at Peters Werft in 2000, offering custom megayacht building, conversion, refit, and repair services. Notable megayachts include LE PHARAON, SENSES, WHITE CLOUD, LONE RANGER, AL MIRQAB, with work quality and reliability meeting the most demanding customer requests.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 690 new buildings completed in 150+ years of operation
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered notable and core.

• German Harbor Museum (Hamburg)notableStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Peters Werft successfully completed the restoration of the historic Four-masted Bark PEKING from 2017-2020. The sailing ship was converted into a stationary museum ship and delivered to the German Harbor Museum in Hamburg in September 2020.
• Schmidt-Ocean-InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2012Peters Werft delivered the multi-functional Scientific Research Vessel Falkor (83.0m) to Schmidt-Ocean-Institute in 2012. The vessel was converted into one of the most innovative scientific research vessels in the world, featuring state-of-the-art sonar systems for underwater sonar scanning, oceanographic research systems, and extendable sonar for scientific data collection.
• Kusch YachtscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2000Kusch Yachts was established at Peters Werft in 2000 as a specialized megayacht construction division. Together with Kusch Yachts, Peters Werft has been successful with building of megayachts including conversion, refit and repair for over 20 years. Work quality and reliability fulfill the most demanding customer requests – tailor-made in Germany. The partnership combines Peters Werft's shipbuilding expertise with specialized yacht fitting capabilities.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Fassmer: German shipbuilder of special purpose vessels, patrol boats, and lifeboats serving coast guards and navies worldwide. Comparable niche-yard positioning with strong German government/defense customer overlap.
• Feadship: Consortium of Dutch shipyards building fully custom luxury motoryachts. Closest direct peer in the Kusch Yachts megayacht newbuild segment, serving the same UHNWI client base with comparable craftsmanship standards.
• Meyer Werft: German shipyard in Papenburg building cruise ships, ferries, and gas tankers. Comparable as a privately held German newbuild yard targeting government and commercial clients, though materially larger in scale and segment focus.
• Nobiskrug: German shipyard in Rendsburg historically building megayachts and naval vessels. Direct competitor in the high-end megayacht newbuild and refit space, with similar craftsmanship-led positioning.
• Royal Huisman: Dutch builder of large custom sailing yachts and motoryachts. Comparable in the niche of high-end custom megayacht construction and refit, competing for the same UHNWI customer pool with similar price points and craftsmanship focus.
• Lürssen: German shipyard group headquartered in Bremen building naval vessels and megayachts. Direct overlap with Peters Werft's military/naval work and the Kusch Yachts megayacht segment, with shared German craftsmanship heritage.
• Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft (FSG): Northern German shipyard in Flensburg building ferries, ro-ro, and naval auxiliary vessels. Comparable size, regional positioning, and customer focus on ferry operators and German Navy/auxiliary contracts.
• Blohm + Voss: Hamburg-based shipyard specializing in naval vessels, megayacht refits, and complex ship repair. Same German shipbuilding ecosystem with overlapping customer base in government, naval, and UHNWI yacht segments.
• Abeking & Rasmussen: Family-owned German shipyard in Bremen building and refitting motoryachts, special vessels, and naval ships. Closely comparable mid-sized private German yard with similar customer mix and project-based revenue model.

Broad incumbents

• Damen Shipyards: Largest Dutch shipbuilding group with yards across Europe building workboats, naval vessels, tugs, and offshore support. Comparable product breadth in commercial and naval segments but at significantly larger scale and broader geographic footprint.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/peterswerft
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/peters-werft-gmbh

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Peters Werft