On 23 February 2009, 53 apprentices at MEYER WERFT celebrated the successful completion of their training in different technical jobs. 47 of these young people have already been hired and received their employment contracts, which underlines the importance MEYER WERFT attaches to the training and further education of young professionals. Each year the shipyard invests an amount of € 8m in the training and further education of its employees. This proves the company's attitude that corporate success is not only due to state-of-the-art production premises, but depends just as much on the staff's qualification, flexility, top performance and permanent willingness to learn. The shop chairman of MEYER WERFT, Erwin Siemens, recommended the young people to develop an proactive and independent working style, and to assume responsibility working in a team.

Papenburg, 10 February 2009 - The AIDAluna will leave the building dock in the afternoon of 13 February. The undocking manoevure will begin around 4.30 pm. On Saturday 14 February, at 8.30 am, the ship will be moved in front of the harbour lock so that a couple of tests can be performed. The AIDAluna will berth alongside the pier again by 9.30 am. Changes or delays in the undocking schedule may occur due to weather conditions!

Papenburg, 23 January 2009 - Today the first block out of a total of 72 of the new 122,000-gt passenger cruise vessel Celebrity Eclipse for Celebrity Cruises (Miami/USA) was put in place in the yard's covered building dock II which was lengthened by 120 metres. In January 2008 the Prime Minister of Lower-Saxony, Christian Wulff, laid the corner stone of the new dock area.

Now Harri Kulovaara (Executive Vice President Maritime & Newbuilding), Christer Schoug (Vice President Newbuilding) and Project Director Jarmo Laakso of Celebrity Cruises put down the traditional "lucky cents" in this new part of the dock of the shipyard before the first block of the new ship was lowered by the 800-ts crane. This first block weighs approx. 550 tons, is 16 m long, 36.80 m wide and approx. 8.00 m high. MEYER WERFT was represented by Bernard Meyer (Managing Partner), Lambert Kruse (Managing Director) and Uwe Wulff (Project Manager). The Celebrity Eclipse is the third ship in a series of five for Celebrity Cruises (Miami/USA).

The delivery of the ship to Celebrity Cruises is scheduled for 2010. The Celebrity Eclipse has a length overall of 317 m, a breadth of 36.80 m, and will be able to operate at a speed of more than 24 knots. More than 2,852 passengers will be accommodated in 1,426 cabins. This class of ships features plenty of technical innovations. It will contain numerous energy-saving systems, and is built in line with the latest stability regulations.

Photo/Caption: Keel-laying of Celebrity Eclipse. In the background: Celebrity Equinox which will be delivered in July 2009.

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 b 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.