Construction of a new cruise ship for Japanese group NYK company NYK Cruises has now begun at Meyer Werft in Papenburg, Germany, with the symbolic steel cutting ceremony.
The ship will be named Asuka III and is scheduled for delivery in 2025. Meyer Werft will use various customised solutions for the new cruise ship. These include hydrodynamics optimised according to the planned routes, contactless controls as well as on-board facilities adapted to the needs of Japanese passengers. The ship will be powered by LNG, considered one of the cleanest fuels currently available for shipping. In addition to the reduction of CO2 emissions, the emission of NOx and particulate matter can be almost completely eliminated, and SOx completely avoided.
Meyer Werft MD Thomas Weigend said: “The order from NYK Cruises in 2021 in the middle of the pandemic was a strong signal for shipbuilding in Papenburg. Therefore, we are also very pleased today to have won NYK Cruises as a customer and to be able start in the construction of this modern cruise ship.The teams of Meyer and NYK Cruises are working extraordinary close together to create the Asuka III. For the Meyer team, learning about Japanese culture and optimising a cruise ship for this market is a very appealing task.”
Hiroyuki Endo, President NYK Cruises said: “In the ship’s designing, we are all grateful to the cooperation rendered by Meyer so far. We wish to continue this excellent relationship with them to the successful delivery of Asuka III and beyond.”
Delivery of the 52,200gt Asuka III is scheduled for 2025. With a length of 230m and width of 29.8m, it will offer space for 744 passengers.
