Nakashima Propeller and Becker Marine Systems merge

Becker specializes in performance products in the area before and aft of the propeller

In a move that aims to create “a strong hydrodynamic provider for the propulsion and maneuvering of ships of all sizes,” Japan’s Nakashima Propeller Co Ltd has taken a majority stake in Hamburg, Germany, headquartered Becker Marine Systems GmbH.

“We have gotten to know Nakashima Propeller as a much respected and reliable partner through decades of cooperation,” said Dirk Lehmann and Henning Kuhlmann, the two managing directors at Becker Marine Systems, “and because we are expert suppliers in the area in front of and behind the propeller with well-known products such as the Becker Mewis Duct and the Becker Rudder family, the cooperation with the globally leading propeller manufacturer is, of course, a perfect fit.”

“Becker and Nakashima have started the cooperation since 1978. This time, we are pleased to enhance the strategic partnership with Becker Marine Systems through this agreements,” said Nakashima’s President Takayoshi Nakashima. “I strongly believe that the relationship and trust which both families and management teams built over 40 years enables us to reach this agreement successfully. We will make a significant contribution to total optimization for propulsive performance as well as maneuvering performance to our customers during the entire lifecycle of ships.”

Both family-owned companies will aim to be able to offer a well-coordinated set of innovative technologies in both the newbuilding and retrofit sectors. Customers can now put together overall packages from products that have been successfully tested worldwide. These includes Nakashima’s propellers and bow thruster systems and Becker’s maneuvering systems, energy-saving devices and battery solutions.

Both companies also have state-of-the-art Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) departments, which will be used even more efficiently together.