STX France receives order for luxury cruise ship from Hapag-Lloyd Cruises

STX France has received an order to build a luxury cruise ship, the “EUROPA 2”. The new ship is being acquired by a third-party proprietary company outside the TUI group at the French STX shipyard and will enter service in 2013.

The vessel, that will complement the famous “EUROPA” in the fleet of German cruise operator Hapag Lloyd-Cruises, will be designed and built according to latest international regulations and delivered in 2013. For STX France this new contract represents about 2.5 million working hours. Construction will start in September 2011.

“We are proud to be chosen to build the new cruise liner in our Saint-Nazaire shipyard and we are delighted to contribute to the expansion of the luxury cruise activities of Hapag-Lloyd Cruises“, says Jacques Hardelay, General Manager of STX France.

The EUROPA 2 will offer a modern and casual 5-star alternative to the existing EUROPA. With sets of 7-day cruises in the Mediterranean in the summer months and faraway destinations in the winter, the two ships will also complement each other in terms of their itineraries. The new ship will have 258 cabins and thus a maximum passenger capacity of 516 persons. The 20-month construction period begins as of September 2011 at the STX shipyard in St. Nazaire, France.

Hapag Lloyd Cruises is part of TUI, Europe’s leading travel group. Presently the Hapag-Lloyd Cruises fleet includes four cruise ships: the luxury EUROPA (pictured), the expedition ships HANSEATIC and BREMEN and the COLUMBUS in the premium segment.