Neptun Werft (lit. 'Neptune Shipyard') is a German shipbuilding company in Rostock. Since 1997, it has been a subsidiary of Meyer Werft. As of 2026, the company specializes in building river cruise vessels.
History
The company was founded as the "Schiffswerft und Maschinenfabrik von Wilhelm Zeltz und Albrecht Tischbein" in 1850 and their first iron steamship was launched in 1851. The shipyard developed quickly, and as early as in 1857 it had some 400 employees. In 1890, after several mergers and buyouts, it became the "Actien-Gesellschaft Neptun". After 1945 and the division of Germany, the shipyard focused on markets in Eastern Europe. At that time the "Schiffswerft Neptun Rostock" counted among the most renowned state-owned shipyards of the German Democratic Republic.
The changing conditions of international competition following the German reunification brought about a time of change for the company. Productivity was not up to international standards, and due to EU restrictions it was no longer allowed to build new sea-going vessels. The yard became "Neptun Industrie Rostock" (NIR), and the following years were heavily influenced by staff cuts, re-organisation and diversification. Focus was put on the repair and upgrading of ships, construction and delivery of ship components, steel constructions for hydraulic engineering and complex Ro-Ro facilities.
In 1997 Neptun Werft became part of the Meyer Neptun Group, which includes Meyer Werft in Papenburg.