German govt considering minority stake in Thyssenkrupp marine unit - minister

BERLIN (Reuters) -The German government is considering taking a minority stake in Thyssenkrupp's warship division Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems (TKMS), German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said during a visit to Kiel on Tuesday.

The consideration process would take until the end of the year, Pistorius said, according to a defence ministry spokesperson.

Thyssenkrupp is looking for a standalone future for TKMS, which builds submarines and frigates, and has mentioned a listing, partial sale, merger or joint venture as possibilities to reach its goal.

Last week, a leading worker representative told Reuters that Berlin was expected to decide within weeks whether to take a stake in TKMS, adding this was a precondition for any sale.

He said at the time that the German government did not reject in principle the idea of taking a stake in TKMS and Berlin had understood that it had to take a more active role in the sector's consolidation.

Thyssenkrupp is also still in discussions with potential suitors for a stake in TKMS, including private equity firm Carlyle, people familiar with the matter said.

Thyssenkrupp had no immediate comment.

Carlyle declined to comment.

(Reporting by Sabine Siebold, Tom Kaeckenhoff and Christoph Steitz; Writing by Miranda Murray; Editing by Rachel More and Angus MacSwan)