East Germany interested in Dutch merchant ships according to the Dutch newspaper Gereformeerd gezinsblad dated 27 August 1964

An item reported that East German was seriously intended in building merchant ships by Dutch shipyards. The value of this order was around ƒ 25.000.000 for 2-10.000 tons ships and a large number of coasters. The order was such of an importance for East Germany that if the building was not started the same year the order was given elsewhere.(1)

Note

1.  Directly after the Second World War started the period 1946-1991 which became known as the Cold War between the Eastern or Communist Bloc (Soviet Union and Warsaw Pact) and the Western Bloc (USA and the NATO allies). In this political and economic conflict with a (nuclear) arms race both sides tried to expand their influence for example in the Middle East. Despite this all were for instance at the Dutch shipyard De Kon.Mij. De Schelde several merchant ships built for the Soviet Union in the fifties and sixties. Even a Soviet submarine salvage ship the Kommuna was repaired at this yard. Elsewhere in European were also ships built for the Soviet Union, for instance in England.