FILE PHOTO: Thyssenkrupp's logo is seen outside the elevator test tower in Rottweil, Germany, January 21, 2020. REUTERS/Michaela Rehle

OSLO (Reuters) - Norway has started formal talks with the shipbuilding division of Thyssenkrupp TKAG.DE for the construction of new submarines and expects to conclude the negotiations this year, the Norwegian defence ministry said on Monday.

The date and schedule for the delivery of the submarines will be set as part of the contract, said the ministry, adding that the COVID-19 outbreak may have an impact on the conduct of the talks.

Norway and Germany, both NATO members, are jointly procuring identical submarines from Thyssenkrup Marine Systems.