By
Rebecca Gibson |
MV Werften has officially completed its first-ever newbuild, handing over the new Crystal Bach to Crystal River Cruises at its yard in Wismar on 3 August 2017.
Designed to cruise the rivers of Europe, the 135-metre Crystal Bach was handed over to its owner during a traditional flag exchange ceremony.
“The Crystal Bach is the first newbuild project to be completed under the MV Werften flag,” said Jarmo Laakso, managing director of MV Werften. “Our employees have done wonderful work and proven that they can meet the highest quality standards.”
Crystal Bach has 55 large suites with horizontal sliding windows and will accommodate 106 passengers. Onboard highlights include Palm Court with a glass-domed ceiling, three gourmet restaurants, a spa and gym, a counter-current swimming pool, electric bicycles, piano bar, bistro and other facilities. Most of the public areas have floor to ceiling glass. The ship will sail along the Rhine, Danube and Main Rivers through the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and Switzerland.
"With the Crystal Bach we now welcome the second member of the Crystal River Cruises fleet,” said Edie Rodriguez, CEO and president of Crystal Cruises. “We would like to thank MV Werften for this wonderful ship. In the past months, we have had the pleasure of working with this shipyard as an experienced and reliable partner and look forward to our cooperation in the coming three projects.”
MV Werften will deliver Crystal Mahler in a few weeks' time, while Crystal Debussy and Crystal Ravel are under construction and will be delivered in early 2018. Including the four river ships, the shipyard will deliver three Endeavor Class yachts for Crystal Yacht Expedition Cruises and two Global Class cruise ships for Star Cruises in the next five years.