DNV GL has continued its co-operation with Genting and MV Werften by classing three of the recently announced 88,000 gt ‘Universal’ class cruise ships to be built at the yards.
The ‘Universal’ class ships are to be designed, built and operated with what Genting calls complete freedom – making cruising more like a land vacation, the company said.
Accommodating 2,000 guests, the ships are large enough to have all the main amenities of larger cruise ships but without the crowded public space and lines of 5,000 plus passenger cruise ships. Hong Kong-based Genting will operate these ships for global hotel brands, who want to enter the cruise industry, but are unable to do so, as almost all of the newbuilding slots are occupied.
“The major hospitality brands are uncompromising in protecting their brand image and the ‘Universal’ class ships are perfect as they carry the most trusted and respected ‘Made in Germany’ label. They are designed with the highest safety and environmental standards, including LNG propulsion,” explained Peter Fetten, President and CEO of MV Werften when announcing the new order at the keel laying ceremony for the second ‘Global’ class cruise ship at Rostock .
“We will be an experienced yard by then, having delivered two 208,000 gt ‘Global’ class ships, the largest to be built in Germany and the ‘Universal’ class ships will keep MV Werften with a full orderbook until 2024,” he added.
This follows DNV GL’s classing of the two large ‘Global’ class newbuildings and the ‘Endeavour’ class mega yachts, also under construction for Genting at MV Werften.
Other notable cruise and ferry newbuildings classed by DNV GL include Royal Caribbean’s newbuilding giant ‘Wonder of the Seas’, the two double ended cruise ferries ordered by P&O Ferries in China and Ritz Carlton’s small cruise ships building in Spain.
At a presentation in Hamburg last month, the class society revealed that in the cruise and ferry sector, it had 11 mill gt classed ro-ros and 12 mill gt pax/ferries on its books.
Overall, new orders for cruise and ferry vessels in 2019 amounted to 2.3 mill gt booked by all class societies.
