Kvaerner Masa-Yards pick up huge order for luxury cruise liner

print this

Kvaerner Masa-Yards announced on Wednesday that it had won an order to build a sister vessel to the world’s largest cruise liner. Royal Caribbean International has ordered a second vessel in the Ultra Voyager class, with an estimated value of EUR 570-580 million.
      Masa-Yards is scheduled to hand over the first ship in this class - currently on the stocks in Turku - in May 2006, and this new order should be complete in the spring of the following year.
      The Ultra Voyager class of cruise ships are 339 metres long overall, eighteen stories high, and weigh 160,000 GRT. The ships can accommodate 3,600 passengers, with a crew of 1,400. By comparison, the Queen Mary II, which recently went into service, is approximately 150,000 GRT.
     
The Norwegian concern Aker Yards  also announced on Wednesday that it will be merging the operations of its two Finnish shipyards, Kvaerner Masa-Yards and Aker Finnyards, under the name Aker Finnyards.
      The change will be effective from January 2005. A statement is expected later today on the possible employment implications of the move.


Links:
  Aker Shipyards press release
  Aker Shipyards
  Kvaerner Masa-Yards

Helsingin Sanomat