UPDATED PHOTOS –– Now that the Celebrity Reflection has cleared out of the massive warehouse at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany, the Norwegian Breakaway has room to grow into the beautiful ship she is swiftly becoming. Norwegian Cruise Line released the above photograph today showcasing the ship’s continued construction progress.
This particular building at Meyer Werft is capable of housing about one and a half completed ships at any given time as the ships are conveyed in a fascinating assembly line-like process. The building is slightly wider than two ships with the massive building blocks being constructed (as seen in the foreground of the image) before being shuttled over to final assembly in the adjacent basin (as seen in the background of the image).
Once the full length of Norwegian Breakaway‘s lower hull is achieved, the basin is flooded so that she can be shuttled down to the right of the image and closer to the waterway she will eventually sail on. This will open up half a ship’s worth of space behind her to begin construction on a new vessel as the ship’s superstructure is completed. The Norwegian Breakaway herself was only half a completed ship (from keel to superstructure in height) before the Celebrity Reflection floated out. In fact, you can see where the cutoff line was just before the ship terraces down to the right with her newest building blocks in place. Click here to see earlier photographs showcasing that former ship section.
The process is an exciting one, and you can even anticipate the rest of the ship’s completion with the theatre and bow sections visible in the foreground ready to be attached to the already completed stern of the ship. The Norwegian Breakaway will not be broken apart for much longer. For more information on the Norwegian Breakaway visit Norwegian Cruise Line’s website by clicking here. Are you looking forward to seeing the completion of this ship? Tell us about it in the comments section below…
Norwegian Breakaway’s Navigational Bridge Under Construction in the Foreground (Copyright © Norwegian Cruise Line)
HEADER IMAGE SOURCE: NORWEGIAN CRUISE LINE