German shipyard Lloyd Werft Bremerhaven AG has been selected by Crystal Cruises to build three new Exclusive Crystal Class ocean cruise vessels.
Namely, owner of the company Genting Hong Kong has signed a letter of intent with Lloyd Werft to build the polar ice class vessels, which will have the capacity to accommodate 1,000 passengers, boasting over 100,000 tons each. The first ship is expected to deliver in late 2018.
“With an impressive 100 tons of space per guest, the average space ratio for luxury cruise ships being 60 tons per person, our new ships’ guest-to-space rations will be vast in comparison to past, current and under-construction luxury ships, reaching all corners of the world safely, smoothly and in the utmost style and comfort, ” said Crystal’s president and CEO, Edie Rodriguez .
“Our intent is to make Crystal Cruises the core of what will become the world’s premier luxury hospitality and lifestyle brand portfolio, not only for the immediate future but for years to come, ” said Chairman Genting Berhad , the holding company of the Genting Group, Tan Sri Lim Kok Thay.
Lloyd Werft has also been selected for the construction of a new class of river vessels for the new brand Crystal River Cruises.
“We are allowed to bring in our experience in building and converting luxury cruise vessels and private mega yachts into these fantastic ships in a very close partnership with Crystal Cruises,” said Lloyd Werft in a press release.
Crystal Cruises announced that, in addition to the Crystal River Cruises™, over the next three years the company will establish Crystal Yacht Cruises™, the Crystal Exclusive Class™ of ocean vessels, and introduce Crystal Luxury Air™.
In May 2015, Genting Hong Kong, the owner of Star Cruises and the company with a major equity interest in Norwegian Cruise Line, acquired Crystal Cruises brands for USD 550 million from Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha.
World Maritime News Staff; Image: Lloyd Werft Bremerhaven