By
Sean Dudley |
A fire has broken out on a ship newbuilding at the Meyer Werft dock and shipyard in Papenburg, Germany.
Described in an official press release as ‘a fire leading to significant smoke formation’, the local fire department is still in operation at the yard premises.
The affected ship is the Norwegian Getaway, a cruise ship that when completed was designed to carry nearly 4,000 passengers as well as 1,600 crew members. The ship is scheduled to be delivered in 2014, but the current situation is an obvious setback to any current plans.
The cause of the fire is yet to be identified. There are currently no reported injuries. While no information has been released regarding the scale of the damage, early indicators suggest that the fire is a minor setback rather than anything greater.
“In general we install large-size safety and detection systems on our ships as early as in the construction period,”said Markus Wähler, the Meyer Werft Papenburg yard’s safety manager. “Hence we could react very quickly.”
More to follow.