As we draw towards the end of the year, operations at NEPTUN WERFT are still in full swing with the construction of a 140-metre-long floating engine room unit (FERU) for the new cruise ship “Iona” (P&O Cruises). This is the fourth FERU of 2018: Another is being built for Costa Smeralda at MEYER TURKU, and two more have already been completed for the Norwegian Encore and Spectrum of the Seas at MEYER WERFT in Papenburg. “In 2018, we made the key decision to realign NEPTUN WERFT as the MEYER Group’s strategic partner for the production of highly complex engine room units”, explains Manfred Ossevorth, Managing Director of NEPTUN WERFT. A milestone was reached in spring when the new 180-metre-long by 65-metre-wide production hall was commissioned. “The hall meets all the structural and technical requirements to deliver four FERUs a year – and potentially even six. We’ve noticed a significant improvement in our productivity”, continues Ossevorth.
The FERUs form the heart of the cruise ships constructed in Papenburg and Turku. The units are made up of four decks with all the necessary drive and supply systems, from engines and gensets to heaters, air conditioning units and LNG tanks. NEPTUN WERFT and MEYER WERFT are the first shipbuilding companies in the world to integrate sophisticated LNG technology in cruise ships. At the beginning of 2018, NEPTUN WERFT also delivered the LNG tanker “Coral EnergICE” to the Dutch shipping company Anthony Veder. This 164-metre-long special vessel both transports and runs on LNG.
In 2018, a double-ended ferry was delivered to Wyker Dampfschiffs-Reederei (W.D.R.). Six Viking Longships (length: 135 metres) were also built for Viking River Cruises (USA) over the course of the year. These will set sail for the first time in the spring of 2019. Over 60 river cruise ships have been built over the past ten years. In order to face the challenges of the future (the MEYER Group currently has orders for 22 seagoing cruise ships), an additional 100 jobs will be created at NEPTUN WERFT in 2019. We are looking for specialists and managers in the fields of quality assurance, planning, production, transport and logistics. Our company currently employs 600 people and 40 apprentices. Almost every skilled worker is taken on after the apprenticeship. Our current job offers are listed on www.meyercareer.com.