Steel has been cut to mark the official start of construction for Saga Cruises’ new 1,000-guest Spirit of Discovery, which launches into service next summer. 

The first sections and blocks are now being constructed at Meyer Werft’s Building Dock I, according to a prepared statement. 

Lance Batchelor, CEO of Saga Group, and Tim Meyer, managing director at Meyer Werft pressed the start button on the computer-operated cutting machine in a ceremony earlier this week. 

This marked the start of the ship’s production. This project will “reactivate” Meyer Werft’s Building Dock I, which has not recently been used to build new ships. It also means three cruise ships will now be delivered to various customers in 2019 and 2020, as opposed to the two ships that the yard usually builds. 

The Spirit of Discovery will be followed by another new ship for Saga, the Spirit of Adventure, with a delivery date in 2020.