Japanese cruise company NYK Cruises and Meyer Werft have signed a contract for the construction of a new cruise ship
This order, said Meyer Werft, makes it the first shipyard in the world to receive a cruise ship newbuild order since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The newbuilding for NYK Cruises is scheduled for delivery in 2025. Meyer Werft will install LNG propulsion in the ship and also “implement numerous customised solutions” for the order, according to a statement.
It added “These include hydrodynamics optimised in accordance with the planned routes as well as onboard facilities adapted to the needs of Japanese passengers and, as a result of the pandemic, also offering innovations to the air-conditioning systems and contactless controls.”
The 229-m, 51,950-gt ship with capacity for 744 guests will be constructed at Meyer Werft’s Papenburg site.
"It is another very important step towards securing the Papenburg site. New orders are absolutely necessary for our current programme for the future with enormously important savings," said Meyer Werft managing director Jan Meyer. "We have been able to win our new customer from Japan in this extremely difficult global market situation and worldwide competition with the best ship concept, innovations, quality and a very challenging price for us. This is the first order in the shipyard’s 226-year history where all contract documents and plans were prepared and negotiated via video conferencing. The effort has paid off."
Meyer Werft managing director Thomas Weigend added "We are delighted about the newbuilding order, but at the same time we have to push ahead with our future programme, continue to convert and optimise the shipyard so that we can also deliver the ship with economic success. Thanks to this order, we have a second ship in the works in 2025, namely a small and a large ship. But we still have a lot of work missing for 2025. Our production in Papenburg is designed for an annual construction volume of 420,000 gt, but the two ships in 2025 only have a total volume of 182,000 gt."
"The current newbuilding order is not a turnaround from our difficult situation. In Papenburg we are designed for the series production of very large cruise ships," added Mr Meyer. "Now we are building the prototype of a small ship without the option of sister ships. Although it is also a positive signal: it is a completely new customer for Meyer Werft, and we have asserted ourselves on a global market against global competition."
Despite the pandemic, eight ships have been delivered from the Meyer Group shipyards in Papenburg, Rostock and Turku (Finland) in the past 12 months.
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