Denmark will need help from abroad to build new Danish warships. We no longer possess the expertise required to build such complex ships, assesses Hans Otto Kristensen, who is a naval architect and the grand old man of Danish shipbuilding.
“We will struggle to build warships exclusively in Denmark without help from other countries. For example, we do not have enough engineers with specialized knowledge in warships,” says
Hans Otto Kristensen to the morning newspaper Jyllands-Posten.
“In addition to not having enough engineers with the necessary specialized knowledge, there are also not enough Danish shipyard workers to build the many ships,” Hans Otto Kristensen emphasizes.
On the political side, a decision has been made to establish facilities for the construction of
future Danish naval ships in Frederikshavn. But exactly what will be built and who will do it remains uncertain.
The French ambassador to Denmark, Christophe Parisot, recently visited Frederikshavn, where he was presented with the Danish shipbuilding plans. After the visit, he told the morning newspaper Jyllands-Posten that the crucial question is whether Denmark still possesses the necessary expertise. If not, French assistance is available:
“We can offer everything, from the full construction to a model with subcontractors,” Christophe Parisot said at the time to the newspaper.
-mauh
