The Japanese cruise company NYK Cruises and MEYER WERFT have signed a contract for the construction of a new cruise ship. This is a significant development for MEYER WERFT's shipyard in Papenburg, which boasts the world's largest covered shipbuilding dock, even though the new vessel will be relatively small at 229 meters in length.
Jan Meyer, Managing Director of MEYER WERFT, commented: “In this extremely challenging global market and competitive environment, we have managed to secure our new customer from Japan. This is the first order in the shipyard’s 226-year history where all contract documents and drawings were prepared and negotiated via videoconference. The effort has been well worth it.”.
Thomas Weigend, Managing Director of MEYER WERFT, commented, “Thanks to this order, we now also have a second vessel planned for 2025—specifically, a small vessel and a large vessel. But the truth is, we still have a lot of work ahead of us by 2025. Our production in Papenburg is designed for an annual build volume of 420,000 GT, but the two ships planned for 2025 have a combined volume of only 182,000 GT.”
“In Papenburg, we are designed for the series production of very large cruise ships,” adds Jan Meyer. “We are now building the prototype of a small ship without the option of sister ships. This is a completely new customer for MEYER WERFT, and we have established ourselves in a global market in the face of worldwide competition.”
Delivery of the new ship to NYK Cruises is scheduled for 2025. MEYER WERFT will also install LNG propulsion on the vessel. This modern and more environmentally friendly technology for cruise ships was first successfully used by MEYER WERFT in 2018. MEYER WERFT is also implementing numerous customized solutions for the current order, including optimized hydrodynamics for the planned routes, onboard facilities tailored to the needs of Japanese passengers, and, as a result of the pandemic, innovations in air conditioning systems and touchless controls.
The NYK Group is one of the world's largest global logistics companies. NYK Cruises, a company within the group, operates the luxury cruise ship Asuka II, which was delivered by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (Japan) in 1990 and serves the luxury segment as Japan's largest cruise ship.
MEYER WERFT has delivered eight ships in the last twelve months from the MEYER Group shipyards in Papenburg, Rostock and Turku (Finland).
