By
Rebecca Gibson |
Germany-based shipyard MV Werften has chosen Finnish company Naval Interior Team (NIT) as the turnkey supplier for areas onboard the two new Global Class ships it is building for Dream Cruises.
As part of the agreement, NIT will design and install two main passenger staircase areas for each of the ships, as well as all the electrical and piping systems.
“We are delighted to announce this new partnership with MV Werften,” said Jari Suominen, CEO of NIT. “Our new customer sees high value in the ambition and experience of our teams and we certainly do our best to exceed expectations.”
Each of Dream Cruises’ 204,000gt vessels will be 342 metres long and will accommodate around 5,000 passengers, making them the biggest cruise ships to ever be built in Germany. Onboard venues will be designed to reflect the tastes of Asian passengers and will include a cineplex, theme park, Asian spa, multiple Asian dining experiences, fast-casual food alternatives, shopping facilities, and the cruise industry’s first-ever escalators. Dream Cruises will also harness artificial intelligence (AI) to offer facial recognition when embarking and disembarking passengers, and when taking onboard payments. AI will also be used to provide contextual marketing across ship facilities.
MV Werften cut the steel for the first vessel this March and will deliver her to Dream Cruises and its owner Genting Hong Kong at the end of 2020. Around 600 companies will be involved in the construction process. Work on the second Global Class ship will begin in early 2019 to ensure she is completed by the end of 2021.
“The success of the Global Class project will strengthen the story of European shipbuilding,” said Suominen. “Not only are we building great ships together, but we are also exploring exciting concepts and unlocking new opportunities for market expansion. By succeeding in this with our customers, NIT will have an increasingly important role as a key player in the European shipbuilding business.”