
German shipbuilder Meyer Werft is getting ready to for the launch of the 164,600 gross ton cruise ship Norwegian Escape from the covered building dock II area at the company’s shipyard in Papenburg, Germany.
The float-out of the vessel is expected to begin at 8:30 a.m. Saturday, at which point the cruise ship will be berthed at the yard’s pier for the remaining work, tests and trials. In mid-September, the ship is expected to make its conveyance down the river Ems to the North Sea, where the vessel will be put through a series of sea trials before delivery to owner Norwegian Cruise Lines later in 2015.
The launch comes just 18 months after construction began on the vessel in March 2014.
The 164,600 gross ton cruise ship, part of the Breakaway Plus class, has a length overall of 325.9 meters and is 41.40 meters wide, making it the largest vessel in the Norwegian Cruise Line fleet.
Norwegian Escape vessel will be homeported in Miami.