The first piece of steel was cut today at Meyer Werft for the construction of Norwegian Breakaway, the first of two new Freestyle ships for Norwegian Cruise Line, set for delivery in April 2013.
The first plate of steel took four minutes to cut by a plasma torch in the yard’s state of the art facility. This plate will become a supporting part of the double bottom in the middle of the new ship.
“Today’s steel cutting marks the start of construction for Norwegian Breakaway, our next generation Freestyle Cruising ship, that will captivate and amaze our guests,” said Kevin Sheehan, Norwegian’s chief executive officer.
“We are extremely pleased with the progress we have made so far in planning this incredible vessel. We now look to the capable and talented team at Meyer Werft to bring this ship to life.”
The Breakaway class ships, Norwegian Breakaway and Norwegian Getaway, will each be 144,017 gross tons and will have approximately 4,000 passenger berths.
The shipyard’s managing directors Bernard Meyer and Lambert Kruse, as well as Aloys Meemann, project manager, attended the steel cutting ceremony in the laser center. “We are very happy to build these innovative ships for Norwegian and to continue our long lasting relationship,” said Meyer. “We can guarantee to deliver a cruise vessel with an exceptional interior design, extremely comfortable staterooms and the highest technical standards.”
