The popular Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany will be shutting down temporarily due to the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on the cruise industry.
Meyer Werft to Shut Down
The Meyer Werft shipyard, which is an important shipbuilder for the cruise industry, is temporarily shut down due to the impact on cruise lines and the global health crisis.
According to Spiegel, the shipyard is struggling and will need to shut down for six weeks to help ride out these difficult times. The yard apparently needs to save 1.2 billion Euros over the next five years. The shutdown is set to begin from Monday, July 20, 2020, and be more like an extended summer break for workers.
The pause at Meyer Werft will be until August 30 and new ship deliveries are already delayed so there should not be such a huge overall impact.
At the moment there are cruise ships under construction at the shipyard for several different cruise lines. Saga Cruises’ Spirit of Discovery is to debut for the British cruise line in November 2020. Royal Caribbean’s Odyssey of the Seas, which we’ve covered extensively on Cruise Hive, has been delayed into April 2021, and Aida Cruises’ Aidacosma is also expected to be delayed.
Also Read: Royal Caribbean’s New Cruise Ship Won’t Arrive Until Spring 2021
The P&O Iona cruise ship, which was originally scheduled to be delivered in May 2020, is also still under the control of Meyer Werft and is just about ready to be handed over. The vessel is currently docked in Bremerhaven for some final work, and she’s expected to be delivered in August 2020.
Meyer Werft, which is located in Papenburg, is one of the most important shipyards for the cruise industry and the company also owns the Meyer Turku yard in Finland and Neptune Werft facility in Rostock. The much anticipated Carnival Mardi Gras cruise ship has also been delayed at the Meyer Turku shipyard and now won’t be arriving until February 2021.
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