Work begins on building the fourth ship in the Breakaway-Plus class for Norwegian Cruise Line
Keel laying for yet another ship in the Breakaway Plus class for Norwegian Cruise Line. Shareholders and directors of the American shipping company were joined by representatives of MEYER WERFT for the keel laying ceremony. During the ceremony, block 3 of the 169,145 GT ship was lowered into position in the shipyard’s covered building dock II. The block is 19.8 meters long, 40.4 meters wide and weighs 558 tons.
Andy Stuart, President of Norwegian Cruise Line, placed the traditional lucky cent under the block before the 800 ton crane lifted the structure weighing 350 tons into position in the building dock. “It’s great that we can celebrate the keel laying ceremony for the Norwegian Encore today with our partner MEYER WERFT”, says Andy Stuart. “The start of production is an important milestone, and we can rest assured in the shipyard’s expertise to build yet another first-class ship with the Norwegian Encore.” The ship will be finished in just 11 months before heading out to the North Sea for its sea trials. The Norwegian Encore is the fourth ship in the Breakaway-Plus class and will be completed by MEYER WERFT for Norwegian Cruise Line in autumn 2019.
“Today we have placed again a new of about 90 blocks in the building dock,” says Stephan Schmees, Executive Board Member Project Management of MEYER WERFT. “It is with great pride that we perform the keel laying ceremony today to symbolize the start of production for the ship. In autumn 2019, this will be the twelfth ship to be handed over to our long-standing customer Norwegian Cruise Line.” The order books are full at MEYER WERFT right through to 2023. The shipyard is constantly on the look-out for skilled qualified workers.
The cruise liner measures 333.46 meters in length and 41.4 meters in width, offering capacity for 4,200 passengers. The new-build will combine all the advantages of the Norwegian Breakaway-Plus class and has an additional deck to offer the passengers many added features and attractions.
