The first steel cut on September 5, 2011 marked the official beginning of the construction of the Europa 2, the new addition to the Hapag-Lloyd Cruises fleet. Sebastian Ahrens, Managing Director of the cruise operator, officially gave the start signal at the STX shipyard in Saint-Nazaire, France. With the newbuild, the company will enhance its pioneering role in the luxury segment, introducing the new ship into service in the spring of 2013.

A total of 835 shipyard workers are involved in the project, dedicating an estimated 2.5 million hours of labor until its completion in the spring of 2013. “After an intense planning stage, we are very pleased to be taking this decisive step towards the extension of our fleet with the first steel cut,“ stated Sebastian Ahrens, Managing Director of Hapag-Lloyd Cruises.

The individual parts of the ship will be manufactured in different shipyard halls over the coming months. Keel laying is scheduled for the spring of 2012, and commissioning for the spring of 2013.