At last month’s Seatrade cruise expo at Fort Lauderdale, Florida, the Meyer Group presented a cruise ship concept to show what cruising could look like in 2100.
This year, Meyer Werft will deliver a new cruise ship for Silversea Cruises, ‘Silver Nova’, which will set new standards in technology and design, the shipbuilder claimed.
In addition, there are two innovative cruise ships under construction at Meyer Turku, including the ‘Icon of the Seas’ – the largest cruise ship yet built will be delivered to Royal Caribbean International later this year.
Also last month, the block assembly for ‘Mein Schiff 7’ was started at Turku. The latest vessel for TUI Cruises will be among the first to be built methanol and green methanol ready in the future, making its operation almost climate neutral.
Thanks to an innovative fuel concept using low-emission LNG, a fuel cell system and batteries, ‘Silver Nova’ will have the best possible measures to reduce emissions, Meyer said. With a number of unique technological innovations and ground breaking design features, the fuel cell system is expected to provide part of the energy needs on board.
After years of research and development by Meyer and fuel cell manufacturer, Freudenberg, anticipation is growing that every single component of the fuel cell system will successfully pass the rigorous endurance tests at extreme temperatures and the classification societies’ certification tests for safe use on board ships, the shipbuilder said.
The multi-year research project’s goal is to develop a maritime fuel cell system of unprecedented scale that will power Royal Caribbean Group’s ‘Nova’-class ships. When completed, the fuel cell system is expected to meet a ship’s entire hotel load.
‘Silver Nova’ already exceeds the IMO’s highest future requirements by 25% in the Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI). A newly developed Micro Auto Gasification System (MAGS) converts waste on board into thermal energy in the spirit of the circular economy, further increasing the ship’s efficiency.
For the first time at Silversea, ‘Nova’ class ships will feature a horizontal layout and an asymmetrical design, with public spaces and suites extending the full length of the ship. Thanks to the large expanses of glass, this allows guests to experience an unprecedented openness while on board to the water and destinations.
Externally inspired by the rock penguin and thus particularly aerodynamic is Meyer’s ‘Reverse’ concept that shows what a cruise ship could look like in the year 2100.
Externally equipped with a closed glass facade and urban gardening areas, as well as drone landing pads, central public areas form the focal point inside the ship. Thanks to a cabin structure detached from the outer hull, efficient modular manufacturing methods are possible.
“The ship is based on global mega-trends and is one – but not the only – logical response to them,” explained Tim Krug, Meyer Group’s Head of Concept Development Group.
“For example, we have only provided for small restaurant areas that serve more as social meeting places because we imagine that a large part of the nutrients will be consumed in concentrated form like pills.
“From today’s point of view, we sometimes come up with extreme approaches, but it is equally important to think them through and develop answers from them,” he explained.
An on board energy concept also relies on innovation. Thanks to the use of wave energy through horizontal wings on the hull, solar and fuel cells, as well as wind energy, it can sail without using fossil fuels.
The ‘Reverse’ model, which was shown at the trade fair, was made largely from sustainable materials. Some 90% of the materials used are recycled or can be recycled without leaving any residue. It also has a functioning fuel cell powered by methanol to supply its lighting with energy.
Meyer Group’s trade fair team also used the system to charge smartphones and tablets.
Late last month, Meyer Werft celebrated the keel laying ceremony of the ‘Disney Treasure’.
Similar to her sistership ‘Disney Wish’, delivered by the Papenburg shipyard in 2022, the ship will be equipped with low-emission LNG propulsion.
Meyer Werft and Disney Cruise Line celebrated the start of the hull assembly by placing the first component in the more than 500 m long covered building dock. The block for the ship’s bow weighed 719 tonnes, is 30.9 m wide and 23.3 m long and with a height is 12.6 m.
Disney Cruise Line’s new ship will be fitted with 1,240 cabins and will be of 144,000 gt. Completion is scheduled for 2024.
Previous to ‘Disney Wish’, the shipyard delivered the ‘Disney Dream’ and ‘Disney Fantasy’ to Disney Cruise Line in 2010 and 2012, respectively.
