First steel cut for NYK cruise ship

The construction of a new cruise ship for Japan’s NYK Cruises has begun at Meyer Werft’s Papenburg yard, following a traditional steel-cutting ceremony attended by Japanese guests and shipyard representatives.

The 52,200gt Asuka III, 230m long and 29.8m wide, will have capacity for 744 passengers and is due for delivery in 2025.

Teams at Meyer Werft and NYK Cruises have worked closely together to optimise facilities on board. As a result, the shipbuilder has designed various features for the new vessel. They include hydrodynamics optimised for the ship’s planned routes, contactless controls, and facilities specially adapted to meet the needs of Japanese passengers. The ship will use LNG as fuel.

NYK Cruises’ president, Hiroyuki Endo, 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.” 

Thomas Weigend, managing director of Meyer Werft, commented: “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 to start in the construction of this modern cruise ship.”