Wikipedia

Type 707 tanker

Type 707
in the drydock of the Marinearsenal Warnowwerft
Class overview
Builders
Operators German Navy
Preceded byRhön class
Cost> €900 million (for 2 ships)[1]
In servicePlanned to enter service in 2025 / 2026
Planned2
Building2
General characteristics
TypeReplenishment tanker
Displacement>20,000 t (20,000 long tons)[2]
Length173 m (567 ft 7 in)
Beam24 m (78 ft 9 in)
Draught8 m (26 ft 3 in)
Speed20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph)
Capacity
Complement
  • Crew: 42
  • Additional contingent capacity: 23[3]
Aviation facilitiesHelicopter deck

The Type 707 tankers are a series of replenishment oilers under construction for the German Navy to provide underway replenishment for its ships at sea. Procurement of two vessels was announced in July 2019, with delivery intended in 2025 to replace the Rhön-class tankers which are scheduled to be retired that same year.[2]

Project history

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Background

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The Rhön-class tankers required a replacement due to environmental concerns and their reliability decreasing due to the age of the fleet (in service since 1977).[6] The procurement project was decided in July 2019, with the intend back then to enter service in 2024.[7]

With this purchase, the German Navy will be equipped with 3 Berlin-class replenishment ships and 2 Type 707-class tankers.[7]

Tender

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The tender process started in 2019. The German Navy provided their requirements for this class. The following table compares it to the Rhön-class tankers:[6]

Type 707 requirements[6]
Parameters Rhön-class tankers

(Type 704)

Planned Type 707
Requirements
Fuel capacity 11,500 t (25,400,000 lb) > 15,000 t (33,000,000 lb)
Containers 2 20
Speed 16 kn (30 km/h) 20 kn (37 km/h)
Complement 42
Dimensions
Displacement 20,000 t (44,000,000 lb) > 20,000 t (44,000,000 lb)
Length 130 m (426 ft 6 in) ~ 170 m (557 ft 9 in)
Beam 19 m (62 ft 4 in) ~ 24 m (78 ft 9 in)
Draft 8 m (26 ft 3 in) ~ 8 m (26 ft 3 in)
Other parameters
Hull type — Double hull
Lifespan 2024 Beyond the 2050s

Selection

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The competition saw five German shipyards competing for the contract, among which four shipyards are known:[8]

MV Werften and NVL Group were pre-selected as of April 2021, but the €550 million budget limit was not sufficient, and the bids of the two finalists were still €300 million above the target.[8]

The 23 June 2021, the budget committee approved the project for the Type 707 tanker, and the contract was later on signed with the NVL Group.[6] The budget is above €900 million for the two ships.[1]

Construction

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First MBV 707 - superstructure in transport from the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg to the Neptun Werft shipyard in Warnemünde.
Hull of the second ship afloat in the Kiel Canal
Bow of the second ship made by Stahlbau Nord [de], in the Kiel Canal

The NVL Group is the general contractor of the project and it collaborates with the Meyer Neptun Group for the construction of the ships.[9] Two subsidiaries of the Meyer Neptun Group constructed the ships:[10][11]

Among the other main subcontractors are the Stahlbau Nord [de] shipyard in Bremerhaven which built some sections of the ships.[12][13]

First ship

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The construction started the 29 June 2023 at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg with

the cutting of the first steel plate.[14] The keel was laid the 8 August 2023 at the Neptun Werft shipyard in Warnemünde.[15]

Second ship

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The construction started the 29 February 2024 at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg with the cutting of the first steel plate.[10][16][17] The keel was laid the 25 April 2024 at the Neptun Werft shipyard in Warnemünde.[18]

The front part of the hull was transferred to the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg in March 2025.[11]

List of ships

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Name No. Builder Status Contract Laid down Launched Comm. Notes
 Deutsche Marine (2 ordered)
– – Meyer Neptun Group
(Neptun Werft and Meyer Werft) 		In production Jun 2021[19] 8 Aug 2023[20] – 2025 [21]
– – In production 25 Apr 2024[22] – 2026 [21]
  Planned commissionning

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Neue Tankschiffe für die Marine: Baubeginn in Rostock". www.bundeswehr.de (in German). 9 August 2023. Retrieved 24 October 2025.
  2. ^ a b "NVL Group Lays Keel Of First Type 707 Oiler For German Navy". navalnews.com. 16 August 2023.
  3. ^ "German industry begins construction of the first Type 707 tanker". defence-industry.eu. 3 July 2023.
  4. ^ "VERSORGUNGSSCHIFFE". nvl.de. 2024. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
  5. ^ "Sustaining the fleet: current logistic support ship acquisitions". euro-sd.com. 4 November 2024.
  6. ^ a b c d Gain, Nathan (30 July 2019). "Faster and bigger: German Navy details future Type 707 oiler". Naval News. Retrieved 24 October 2025.
  7. ^ a b "Two New Replenishment Fleet Oiler for the German Navy - European Security & Defence". 30 July 2019. Retrieved 24 October 2025.
  8. ^ a b Redaktion, an Bord- (10 April 2021). "MV Werften kämpfen um Marineschiffe". an Bord (in German). Retrieved 24 October 2025.
  9. ^ "Ready, Set, Go for New Tanker". 29 June 2023. Retrieved 10 May 2024.
  10. ^ a b "Baubeginn für zweiten Tanker" [Start of construction for second tanker] (PDF) (in German). Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 March 2024.
  11. ^ a b "Meyer baut zweiten Marinetanker in Papenburg statt in Rostock". hansa-online.de. 25 March 2025. Retrieved 30 July 2025.
  12. ^ "Front of a ship in a shipyard". Archived from the original on 10 December 2024.
  13. ^ "Schiffssektion wartet im Fischereihafen auf Ablieferung nach Rostock". www.nordsee-zeitung.de. Retrieved 30 July 2025.
  14. ^ "Ready, Set, Go for New Tanker". 29 June 2023.
  15. ^ "MARINETANKER AUF KIEL GELEGT" (PDF) (in German). 8 August 2023. Retrieved 10 May 2024.
  16. ^ "Marinebetriebsstoffversorger Klasse 707: Baubeginn". 29 February 2024.
  17. ^ "Presseportal - aktuelle Pressemitteilungen | NVL".
  18. ^ "Auf Den Punkt Auf Kiel Gelegt" (PDF) (in German). 25 April 2024. Retrieved 10 May 2024.
  19. ^ "Keel laying of the first Class 707 fuel transporter at the Neptun shipyard in Rostock" (in German). 9 August 2023. Retrieved 24 October 2025.
  20. ^ "NVL Group Lays Keel for German Navy's First Type 707 Oiler". defensemirror.com. 16 August 2023.
  21. ^ a b "Neue Tankschiffe für die Marine: Baubeginn in Rostock". www.bundeswehr.de (in German). 9 August 2023. Retrieved 24 October 2025.
  22. ^ ES&T Redaktion (25 April 2024). "Zweiter Marinebetriebsstoffversorger auf Kiel gelegt". esut.de (in German). Retrieved 25 April 2024.
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