Helsinki Shipyard begins construction on first newbuild

Steel cutting held for luxury expedition cruise vessel despite Covid-19 pandemic
Helsinki Shipyard begins construction on first newbuild
Helsinki Shipyard
The steel-cutting ceremony for NB 516 was held as scheduled on 27 April (Image: Helsinki Shipyard)

By Alex Smith |


Finland’s Helsinki Shipyard has begun constructing its first newbuild cruise ship, holding a steel cutting ceremony for NB 516 as scheduled on 27 April despite the current restrictions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

NB 516 is the first of two luxury expedition cruise vessels which were ordered from the shipyard by Russian river cruise line Vodohod in summer 2019. Both are intended to operate in polar regions during winter and summer and in tropical waters during the spring and autumn.

“These two vessels are the first newbuilds from the shipyard after it was established in May 2019, and thus they are a very important head start for us,” said Carl-Gustaf Rotkirch, CEO of Helsinki Shipyard. “The project progresses according to plan in good cooperation with the customer.”

Steel blocks for the vessels are being manufactured by Western Baltija Shipbuilding at its shipyard in Klaipeda, Lithuania. In total, 33 outfitted and painted blocks will be transported to Helsinki by sea. Production of the ships will then begin in August, with the keel laying starting in September 2020. The vessels will be delivered in 2021 and 2022.

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