Press release -
Steel cutting marks start of construction of Norwegian’s second Breakaway Plus-Class vessel
Wiesbaden, September 18, 2015 – In a historic week in new build history for Norwegian Cruise Line, the first piece of steel was cut at Meyer Werft in Papenburg, Germany on Tuesday, September 15 to mark the construction of the second ship in the line’s Breakaway Plus-Class, set for delivery in spring 2017.
Andy Stuart, President and Chief Operating Officer of Norwegian Cruise Line, pushed the button to start the plasma torch during the steel cutting ceremony in the laser centre.
“On behalf of the more than 20.000 Norwegian team members worldwide, we are thrilled to mark the start of construction of the second ship in our company’s Breakaway Plus-Class and the continued evolution of the Norwegian brand,” said Stuart. “Not only will this ship fully embody the Norwegian brand and the freedom and flexibility that a Norwegian Cruise Line vacation means, but the combined expertise of the company’s new leadership team will create what is sure to be the epitome of contemporary cruising.”
Norwegian Cruise Line executives, along with Meyer Werft’s managing directors Bernard Meyer and Lambert Kruse and the yard's project manager Stephan Schmees, watched as the first plate of steel was cut by a plasma torch in the yard's state of the art facility. This plate will become part of Block 46, the first to be assembled for the new vessel. It took the plasma torch in the yard’s state-of-the-art laser centre merely a couple of minutes to cut a silhouette of the new ship from the steel plate.
“We are very happy to build this new class of ships for Norwegian Cruise Line and to continue our long-standing relationship,” said Bernard Meyer, managing partner of Meyer Werft.
Having a tonnage of 165.600 gross tons and reaching more than 300 metres in length, the ship will carry 4.200 guests, reaching speeds of up to 23 knots.
Topics
- Tourism
Categories
- norwegian bliss
- new ship
- cruise
- new cruise
- build start
- meyer werft
- norwegian cruise line
- construction
- 2017
- steel cutting
- ncl
- norwegian
About Norwegian Cruise Line
Norwegian Cruise Line is an internationally operating cruise line headquartered in Miami, Florida with two offices in Wiesbaden and London overseeing operations in Europe.
Founded in 1966, Norwegian Cruise Line is the innovator in cruise travel with a history of breaking the boundaries of traditional cruising, most notably with the introduction of Freestyle Cruising which revolutionized the industry by giving guests more freedom and flexibility. Today, Norwegian invites guests to “Cruise Like a Norwegian” on one of 13 purpose-built Freestyle Cruising ships, providing guests the opportunity to enjoy a relaxed cruise holiday on some of the newest and most contemporary ships at sea. In September 2015, the line was named “Europe’s Leading Cruise Line” for the eighth consecutive year, as well as in October 2014, for the second consecutive year, “Caribbean’s Leading Cruise Line” by the World Travel Awards. In addition the company has received the World Travel Award as “World’s Leading Large Ship Cruise Line” from 2012 to 2014.
Norwegian Cruise Line’s largest Freestyle Cruising ship to date, Norwegian Epic, debuted in June 2010 and, in the United States, has been named “Best Overall Cruise Ship” by the readers of Travel Weekly two years in a row and “Best Ship for Sea Days” by Cruise Critic. The Company recently took delivery of its most innovative ship to date, the 4.000-passenger Norwegian Getaway in the first quarter of 2014. The Company has four 4.200-passenger vessels on order at Meyer Werft: Norwegian Escape with delivery scheduled in the autumn of 2015, Norwegian Bliss with delivery in the spring of 2017 and two further ships with delivery in the spring of 2018 and autumn of 2019.
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High resolution, downloadable images are available at www.ncl.eu/news
Further information and bookings in travel agencies or at:
NCL (Bahamas) Ltd., Wiesbaden Office, Continental Europe Branch, Kreuzberger Ring 68, 65205 Wiesbaden, Germany
Tel. from Sweden: +46 8 403 087 02