Meyer Werft Cuts Steel for NYK Cruise Ship Asuka III

German shipbuilder Meyer Werft announced it held a steel cutting ceremony for a new cruise ship it is building for NYK Cruises, a company of the Japanese shipping group NYK. The vessel will be named Asuka III and is scheduled for delivery in 2025.

The 52,200 GT newbuild will be 230 meters long and 29.8 meters wide, with space for 744 passengers.

Meyer Werft said it will use numerous customized solutions for the new cruise ship. These include hydrodynamics optimized according to the planned routes, contactless controls as well as onboard facilities adapted to the needs of Japanese passengers. The ship will be powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG).

"The order from NYK Cruises in 2021 in the middle of the pandemic was a strong signal for shipbuilding in Papenburg. Therefore, we are also very pleased today to have won NYK Cruises as a customer and to be able start in the construction of this modern cruise ship," said Meyer Werft managing director Thomas Weigend.

"In the ship’s designing, we are all grateful to the cooperation rendered by Meyer so far. We wish to continue this excellent relationship with them to the successful delivery of Asuka III and beyond," said Hiroyuki Endo, president at NYK Cruises.