MEYER WERFT to build further luxury liner for American cruise operator Papenburg, 18.07.2006 - The American cruise operator Celebrity Cruises, an affiliated company of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., has ordered the third large cruise vessel from German MEYER WERFT in Papenburg. The contract for the construction of a third ship of the Solstice class follows two orders which were placed as late as last summer and in February 2006. These newbuildings will be delivered in 2008, 2009 and in Summer 2010. The new ships for Celebrity Cruises will be 315 m long and 36,8 m wide. Each ship will have a size of 118,000 gt. 2,850 passengers will be accommodated in 1,425 cabins. The vessels continue Celebrity's tradition of incorporating in their ships features typically associated with luxury cruising. For example, more than 90 percent of the ships' staterooms will be outside cabins, and more than 90 percent of those rooms will have balconies. Standard staterooms onboard the new ships will average 215 square feet, much larger than those typically found in the cruise industry. The ships will be equipped with diesel engines and Pod propulsion systems. The overall engine output will be 67,200 kW (91,400 hp). "Together with Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. we have developed a truly innovative and energy-saving ship," says Bernard Meyer, CEO and managing partner of the shipyard. MEYER WERFT already built five cruise ships for Celebrity Cruises in the early and mid 90s. www.celebrity.com