SDT History

In September 1976, the founders of Schiffsdieseltechnik—Messrs Off, Große-Hellweg and Benning—certainly did not imagine that the hall at the time would one day no longer be sufficient for the steadily increasing size of engines and generators. All production, test runs, and service and maintenance work took place on an area of 600 m². As it quickly became clear that there was hardly any space in the hall for office work, the production and workshop area was supplemented by 150 m² of office space.

As a distributor for ZF and Mercedes-Benz, Schiffsdieseltechnik began in 1986/1987 with the design and manufacture of onboard power and emergency generator sets for ships. MTU appointed Schiffsdieseltechnik as distributor for marine engines of the 099 and 183 series.

Full speed ahead at SDT: At the beginning of the 1990s, the existing service portfolio was expanded to include taking over the worldwide spare parts supply for Wizemann marine engines based on Mercedes-Benz engines. In addition, SDT, as a Vetus dealer, sold engines and spare parts, accessories and equipment for yacht operations from Kiel. Over time, SDT thus became an established partner in generator set construction, service and spare parts, and provided secure jobs for qualified, highly specialized personnel. What remained was the location in Kiel, where the 600 m² increasingly felt cramped in view of the expanded portfolio.

Founder Mr Off steps back and sells SDT to six shareholders. Messrs Hamann and Starke become Managing Directors of SDT.

Around 20 years of cooperation with MTU—today known as a brand of “Rolls-Royce Power Systems AG”—culminated for SDT in 2005 in a direct dealer agreement for marine engines across all of Northern Germany. Previous considerations regarding expanding the site became concrete.

A great deal to do, many decision-makers, insufficient space: all signs were finally pointing to a new start. SDT’s shareholder group was reduced to three shareholders, who tasked management with the search for new production space. The desired location in Kiel could unfortunately not be realized, but Rendsburg offered an industrial waterfront site, so planning could begin at the end of 2006.
The planning covered both the premises and the equipment for the halls and offices. Permanently installed cranes, test benches, mobile measuring and testing devices, IT networks, software, etc. rounded out the planning and the subsequent fit-out.

In spring 2008, Schiffsdieseltechnik relocated to Rendsburg, Kieler Straße 177, and began operating a production area of 1,100 m² plus 300 m² of test-bench space, supplemented by 250 m² of storage and shipping space as well as 400 m² of office and social rooms. In this context, the Vetus business was discontinued. Mr Hamann steps down from management.

The company receives ISO 9001:2008 certification for SDT quality management.

SDT receives the quality seal from the Berufsgenossenschaft Holz und Metall for compliance with an occupational safety system, “Safe with System”.

The move to Rendsburg was completed, and most employees moved into the new premises. The new, attractive opportunities enabled Schiffsdieseltechnik to recruit additional qualified personnel, and the increasing order volumes could be implemented at an appropriate scale. The service and maintenance division gained more and more momentum. With the construction of various offshore wind farms, Schiffsdieseltechnik established a branch office on the island of Helgoland in 2011.

SDT’s service division continued to grow strongly. In 2012, additional representations for FPT-Iveco and Volvo Penta were added as service partners.

To meet the steadily increasing climate protection requirements for reducing emissions, Schiffsdieseltechnik gained STT-emtec as a partner in 2012 for the supply of exhaust aftertreatment systems.

SDT receives certification to ISO 14001:2004. This also officially confirms the environmental management system—an important step for customers for whom technical performance, verifiability and responsibility go hand in hand.

With new branch offices in Wilhelmshaven and Stralsund, SDT strengthens its presence on the North and Baltic Seas. At the same time, business processes are further digitized with Oxaion. For customers, this means: closer proximity, better processes and faster response.

In addition to newbuild, service and spare parts, Schiffsdieseltechnik has been running its own research and development projects for many years. As early as 2015, an 800 kW engine was successfully converted to LNG fuel.

Schiffsdieseltechnik is currently involved in two R networks to develop alternative propulsion systems for ships.

Thanks to expanded contacts in the market segment, Schiffsdieseltechnik succeeded in obtaining representation for service and sales of John Deere marine engines in 2017.

As the demand for energy continues to grow, so does the need for power generators. Also in 2017, Schiffsdieseltechnik established a cooperation with the Portuguese manufacturer Grupel S.A. for emergency power systems. Coverage of the power ranges required in the stationary sector was secured. By combining components used in the maritime and stationary sectors, Schiffsdieseltechnik manufactures customer-specific power generation systems at its Rendsburg site.

As part of the ECOShip60 network, SDT is involved in the theoretical development of a CO²-neutral marine generator set. At the same time, a test bench including the necessary peripherals for ship hybrid propulsion systems is being discussed—on the one hand flexible thanks to its modular design, and on the other able to test all peripheral components required for operation. The greatest challenge is to test hybrid systems with diesel engines or gas engines as well as fuel cells in combination with electric motors and batteries on a single test bench.

Eberhard Starke steps back. We thank Mr Starke for his tireless commitment. Thomas Schwarke takes over management.

Fin-Olav has been an authorized signatory in the executive management since 2020. In 2023, as planned, he moves into management as Technical Managing Director.

50 years of SDT means: experience gained in the field. What began as a small operation has become a specialist in maritime energy and propulsion technology—built, supported and continuously advanced since 1976. In addition, Hauke Wollesen is granted general power of attorney this year.