With the press of a button (as seen above), the first steel was cut for Norwegian Cruise Line‘s upcoming Norwegian Escape. Norwegian Cruise Line CEO, Kevin Sheehan, and Managing Director of Meyer Werft, Bernard Meyer, initiated the construction of the vessel (as seen above) at the shipyard in Papenburg, Germany. The ceremony follows the unveiling of the new cruise ship’s hull art days before.
Rendering of Norwegian Escape‘s Hull Art (Copyright © Norwegian Cruise Line)
“Norwegian Escape will be the largest ship in our fleet and will continue our legacy of innovation,” said Sheehan. “Cutting the first piece of steel for Norwegian Escape marks the official start of construction for this remarkable ship. We are eagerly anticipating her delivery in October of 2015.”
Norwegian Escape Steel Cutting (Copyright © Norwegian Cruise Line)
Once launched, the Norwegian Escape will homeport year-round in Miami, Florida along with the newly launched Norwegian Getaway. In fact, the Escape will be a larger 163,000-ton version of the Norwegian Getaway and Norwegian Breakaway introduced before it, and it will be the first of two such Breakaway Plus-class ships, with the Norwegian Bliss to follow.
For more information on the Norwegian Escape, visit Norwegian Cruise Line‘s website here.
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HEADER IMAGE SOURCE: NORWEGIAN CRUISE LINE