"No talks on this are currently being held by the companies and no talks are planned," the company said in a bid to stem the rumours and "to prevent confusion among potential customers."

The German group added that "while there have been repeated attempts to form an alliance between the German and French shipyards in the past, ThyssenKrupp currently sees no prospects of a merger or closer alliance between the two shipyards groups; this applies both to the submarine area and to naval surface vessels (frigates/corvettes/supply vessels)."

German media had spoken of plans to create an "EADS of the seas" in reference to the European aerospace group which has major bases in France and Germany.

Copyright AFP (Agence France-Presse), 2011