First Container Ship Completed - Naming Ceremony in Hamburg

Papenburg, 28.01.2005 - On 28th January 2005 MEYER WERFT in Papenburg delivered the first container ship for Hansa Hamburg Shipping International. The ship will be named by Mrs. Gabriele Block, wife of the CEO of Hansa Hamburg, on 29th January 2005. The 1,600 TEU vessel has been chartered by the Canadian operator CP Ships and will be in service on the route Montreal - Northern Europe.

MS Eilbek, yard number S. 671, is the first unit out of four novel container ships having a freight capacity of 1,620 containers (TEU). The other three ships of this type will follow in the spring and summer of 2005.

These slender-built ships are 169.0 m long, 27.2 m wide, and can operate at a speed of 20 knots. From a technical viewpoint, the ships are outstanding due to the highest ice class (Finnish-Swedish 1A Super) and the special arrangement of the hatches. In the midship section they are designed as so-called "open-top ships," while on the forward end as well as on both sides hatch covers are provided. Such a triple, longitudinal division of the cargo hold is an absolute novelty.

This innovative ship design allows for the best possible flexibility when operating the vessel as feeder ship, which means a supply vessel for the very big container ships. Each of the MEYER WERFT newbuildings is equipped with a two-stroke diesel engine by MAN B&W. Moreover, the ships are fitted with a deck solely dedicated to up to eight persons only.

With these newbuildings made by MEYER WERFT, Hansa Hamburg Shipping International clearly stands by Germany as a shipbuilding country.

MS Eilbek - Main Particulars

Construction of Fourth Ship out of Series of Four starts in Building Dock

Papenburg, 14.01.2005 - Today on Friday, the keel-laying of the fourth container ship in a series of four, MS Barmbek, will take place at MEYER WERFT in Papenburg. Mr. Harald Block, CEO of Hansa Hamburg Shipping International who placed the contract with MEYER WERFT, will put the traditional lucky penny on the first of the 15 blocks.

The first ship of this series, MS Eilbek, is going to leave the shipyard on Sunday, 16th January 2005.

These slender-built ships are 169.0 m long, 27.2 m wide, and can operate at a speed of 20 knots, hence allowing for an extremely flexible and economical service.

From a technical viewpoint, the ships are outstanding due to the highest ice class (Finnish-Swedish 1A Super) and the special arrangement of the hatches. In the midship section they are designed as so-called "open-top ships," while on the forward end as well as on both sides hydraulic folding-type hatch covers are provided.

Papenburg, 05.01.2005 - Today at 12 o'clock sharp, all employees of MEYER WERFT convened in order to keep a minute's silence in commemoration of the victims of the flood in Asia. In this way, some 3,000 people participated in an initiative of the EU council presidency according to which everyday life should come to a standstill for three minutes in all 25 EU member countries.

Meanwhile an initiative has been launched which is themed "Zwei Regionen - eine Werft: Gemeinsame Hilfe für die Flutopfer" (two regions - one shipyard: joint effort to help the victims of the flood). In this first measure, which is conducted with approval of the Consulate General of Indonesia in Hamburg and in cooperation with local authorities, donations such as summer clothes, shoes, blankets and tents will be collected at MEYER WERFT gates 1, 2 and 3 on Thursday, 6 January, and Friday, 7 January 2005. These donations will be packed in containers and dispatched to Indonesia to give people in the area of Aceh, which was hit hardest by the catastrophe, quick relief. "We can hardly grasp the misery caused by the natural disaster that struck people in the Indian Ocean area. We see the pictures, and we realise we have to help," Mr. Hans-Artur Wilker, managing director of the shipyard, said in his address to the staff.

Mr. Helmut Plöger, head of the works council, called upon the employees to joint this relief initiative in order to alleviate the hardship of those living in the affected regions.

MEYER WERFT to build another Luxury Liner for NCL

Papenburg, 17.12.2004 - The US American cruise operator Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) has announced today that it has placed orders for two new cruise ships scheduled to go into service in 2007. One ship, to be delivered in February 2007, has been ordered from MEYER WERFT in Papenburg, the second, scheduled for delivery in May 2007, from Aker Finnyards in Finland.

The ship ordered in Papenburg is a repeat of Norwegian Jewel which is currently under construction and will be completed in the summer of 2005. This 93,000-gt vessel is 294 m long, 32.2 m wide, and can accommodate almost 2,400 passengers.

"We appreciate to continue our good cooperation with Norwegian Cruise Line," states Managing Partner Bernard Meyer. However, the shipyard unfortunately had to pass on the second ship due to lacking capacities to effect delivery in late spring of 2007.

Construction of third ship started

Papenburg, 17.11.2004 - At MEYER WERFT, the keel was laid this Wednesday of the third container ship out of a series of four to be built for Hansa Hamburg Shipping International.

As representative of Hansa Hamburg Shipping International, Mr. Joachim Olearius (Warburg Group), put the traditional lucky penny under the first of the total of 15 blocks. The first newbuilding of this series is scheduled for delivery at the beginning of 2005, the other units will follow suit in the first half of the next year. The order has been placed by the issuing company Hansa Hamburg Shipping International.

These container ships, which are very fast and slender-built, are 169.0 m long, 27.2 m wide and can operate at a speed of 20 knots, hence allowing for an extremely flexible and economical service.

From a technical viewpoint, the ships are outstanding, on the one hand, due to the highest ice class (Finnish-Swedish 1A Super), and on the other hand due to the special arrangement of the hatches. In the midship section they are designed as so-called "open-top ships," while on the forward end as well as on both sides hydraulic folding-type hatch covers are provided.