Former Nordic Yards facilities in Wismar, Warnemunde and Stralsund will be manged under one name
By
Rebecca Gibson |
Genting Hong Kong has formed MV Wertfen after completing its €230.6 million acquisition of Nordic Yards’ three shipyards in Wismar, Warnemunde and Stralsund, Germany this April.
MV Werften will be managed by Jarmo Laakso from an office in Wismar, and will focus on building large new cruise ships.
“Laakso has more than 35 years’ experience in building passenger ships, including the latest generation of mega cruise ships, such as the Quantum of the Seas,” said Tan Sri KT Lim, chairman and chief executive of the Genting Group. “Laakso has a unique yard and owner perspective as he has worked for Meyer Werft from 1998 to 2004 and for Royal Caribbean International from 2005 to 2015.”
MV Werften has covered docks, fabrication halls and painting shops, but will be upgraded in the near future.
“To make MV Werften one of the world’s most modern and efficient cruise shipyards, we will invest €100 million in a thin plate laser welding line, a cabin module factory, a new covered section block building hall, the modernisation of manufacturing control systems and new executive and employee offices and facilities,” said Lim.
The yard will deliver four luxury Crystal River ships in 2017, the first of a series of 20,000gt Crystal Endeavor Class polar expedition yachts in 2018, and the first of a series of 201,000gt Star Cruises Global Class cruise ships by 2020. MV Werften’s planned annual output will be increased in future years so it will eventually build two Neo-Panamax cruise ships of over 200,000gt each and one Panamax cruise vessel a year.
“We will build on the strength of the 1,400 employees of MV Werften,” said Laakso. “We have hired and are still hiring more people with cruise shipbuilding experience who, with the current workforce, will make MV Werften one of the most efficient and innovative cruise shipbuilders in Europe.”
Meanwhile, the Lloyd Werft yard in Bremerhaven, which was purchased by Genting Hong Kong last September, will focus on its prior business of repairs, conversion and building of megayachts. It will continue to be led by current managing directors Rüdiger Pallentin, Dirk Petersjohann and Carsten Haake.