ABB Wins Repeat Azipod Order from Norwegian Cruise Lines

Illustration of the Breakaway Plus-class courtesy Norwegian Cruise Lines

Swiss-based power and automation technology company ABB says it has been awarded a contract worth $60 million to deliver Azipod propulsion and power systems to two Norwegian Cruise Line vessels to be built at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Germany.

The Breakaway-Plus class cruise ships are scheduled to be delivered in Q2 2018 and Q4 2019.

The new 164,000 gt vessels will be equipped with ABB’s fuel-saving Azipod XO electrical propulsion systems, which are already featured on several of Norwegian Cruise Line’s new vessels, including Norwegian Breakaway and Norwegian Getaway, as well as the larger Breakaway-Plus class ships, Norwegian Escape and Norwegian Bliss, both currently under construction at Meyer Werft.

ABB will also deliver complete electric power plants, generators and drives to the ships.

NCL’s 146,600 gross ton Breakaway-class debuted in May 2013 with the 4,000-passenger Norwegian Breakaway, homeported in New York, followed by sister ship Norwegian Getaway in February 2014, which is homeported in Miami.

NCL currently has four vessels on order at Meyer Werft for delivery in fall 2015, spring 2017, spring 2018 and fall 2019, all of the Breakaway-Plus class, which are largest in the company’s fleet.