The German Meyer Group has announced that it has been contracted by Disney Cruise Line to complete the build of a cruise ship under construction at the former MV Werften yard in Wismar.
Meyer Group plans to employ several hundred former employees of MV Werften and will equip the ship with the some of the greenest technologies available, working together with other companies in the group. The unfinished Global Dream cruise ship, planned to have capacity for 9,000-passengers, was previously being built at Wismar by Genting Hong Kong, which went into liquidation earlier in 2022. The ship is expected to set sail in 2025.
Meyer Group Chairman Bernard Meyer said: “There is a great passion for shipbuilding in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and we believe in the abilities and courage of both the team in Wismar as well as our Meyer team to complete this grand ship. That will mark another innovative chapter in the long and rich history of shipbuilding excellence here.”
Aloys Meeman, MD Meyer Wismar said: “As passionate shipbuilders we are very happy to save the investments, which have already been made to complete the ship and modernize the shipyard in Wismar, and deliver an innovative vessel.”
Both Disney and Meyer are committed to reduce emissions and waste, to lower the impact of products and build sustainably.
Meyer Werft MD Thomas Weigend said: “When Disney approached us to jointly complete the ship, we saw great opportunities. Meyer stands for innovation, so we are especially happy to deliver a ship that will be among the first in the industry to be powered by methanol.”
Making the ship methanol-ready will require an elaborate transformation of the ship’s engines, additional tanks and many more measures that will make the ship one of the most future-proof. The ship will have capability to cruise climate-neutrally as soon as green methanol is available. In addition, the waste management onboard will be updated according to the newest technology.
Meyer Werft has already delivered three cruise ships to Disney Cruise Line, Disney Dream, Disney Fantasy and Disney Wish. Two sister ships are scheduled to be delivered in 2024 and 2025 by Meyer Werft in Papenburg.
