Papenburg, 29 December 2008 - For MEYER WERFT and NEPTUN WERFT the year 2008 now drawing to a close has been very busy. The total order book of the MEYER-NEPTUN group comprising ten cruise ships, four LPG/LEG tankers and two river cruise ships accounts for almost € 5 bn and will ensure a full workload until 2012.

These orders will be discharged by more than 4,000 employees of MEYER WERFT and their suppliers in the Papenburg facility. At MEYER WERFT more than 300 apprentices will be trained in different trades, which helps ensure the company's competitiveness in the long term. 

In Rostock-Warnemünde 400 employees of NEPTUN WERFT build river cruise ships, steel sections and tanks. Vocational training of approx. 80 apprentices also warrants qualified young talent for the shipyard.

To be able to stand its ground in the highly competitive cruise ship market also in the future, MEYER WERFT is making investments in the 120-m extension of the covered building dock in which post-Panmax ships can be built. Another project is the extension of the prefabrication to which another hall will be added. Apart from this investment in production premises the two shipyards have imposed a demanding programme on themselves to increase productivity, with the goal to maintain their strong market positions. The consequences of the present financial and economic crisis are hardly foreseeable at present. Newbuilding projects have come to a complete standstill due to the faltering demand on the part of the passengers and the problems prevailing on the capital market. In general and in the long term there is no doubt that the cruise market will stay a growing market.

Deliveries in 2008

In April 2008 MEYER WERFT delivered the 6900-gt club ship "AIDAbella" to the Owners. In late October the hitherto biggest cruise ship built in Germany, the 122,000-gt "Celebrity Solstice", was delivered to Celebrity Cruises. And the two LPG/LEG tankers "Clipper Hermes" and "Clipper Hermod" were delivered to the Norwegian shipping company Solvang.

In 2008 NEPTUN WERFT  delivered the river cruise ship "Premicon Queen“ for Premicon AG (Munich).

Ships under construction or on order

At MEYER WERFT the 69,200-gt "AIDAluna“ is under construction. She is due for delivery in March 2008. Another three ships of a further developed type will be delivered to AIDA Cruises in 2010, 2011 and 2012. In July 2009 the second of a total of five new ships for Celebrity Cruises - the 122,000-gt "Celebrity Equinox“ - will be delivered. She will be     followed by her sister ships in 2010, 2011 and 2012.

The shipyard takes special pride in the construction of the two cruise ships for Disney Cruise Line. With a tonnage of 124,000 gt, they will count among the biggest ships built by MEYER WERFT. Production (first steel cutting) will commence in early March 2009. Delivery of the two ships to the Owners  is scheduled for 2011 and 2012.

Moreover one LPG/LEG tanker each will be delivered to the German shipping company Harpain Shipping in Hamburg in the first and the second half of 2009. Another two tankers are scheduled for delivery in 2010. In addition the orderbook of NEPTUN WERFT includes two river cruise ships for the German operator A-Rosa Flussschiff GmbH. These ships will be delivered in 2009 and 2010.

Photos:
MEYER WERFT:   Lengthening of covered building dock II and AIDAluna under construction.
NEPTUN WERFT:  Artist impression of A-Rosa  Aqua.