Berlin to help ThyssenKrupp find B+V ship investor

BERLIN, July 1 (Reuters) - Germany's government offered ThyssenKrupp a helping hand on Friday to find a new investor for the firm's Blohm + Voss civilian shipbuilding business after a planned sale to Abu Dhabi MAR fell through.

Hans-Joachim Otto, the minister responsible for the maritime economy, said Berlin was happy to serve as a facilitator for negotiations over the Hamburg-based assets, which would probably focus on foreign investors.

"We have a strong interest in seeing that the Hamburg base is not only maintained but even extended," Otto told Reuters.

The business is bundled in three units of Blohm + Voss Shipyards and Services (BVSS), involved in building mega-yachts and ships' components as well as repairing ships. (Reporting by Rene Wagner; Writing by John Stonestreet; Editing by Will Waterman)