Meyer Turku, the shipyard located on the south-western tip of Finland, has a bumper orderbook.
The jewel in the crown is a potential six-vessel series for what are the world’s largest cruise ships.
The sextet joins a pair of Finnish patrol vessels in the backlog, as the shipyard remains unaffected by the challenges facing its German counterpart, Meyer Werft.
Both yards suffered when the Covid pandemic decimated the cruise industry, leading to major clients delaying or cancelling newbuilding orders.
That hit Papenburg-based Meyer Werft harder, leading to a much-criticised state bailout of the 225-year-old family-run shipyard that was confirmed in the past week.
The German state now owns a majority stake in Meyer Werft as it attempts to shore up the country’s shipbuilding expertise.
The federal and state governments will take over 80% of Meyer Werft’s shares and invest €400m ($446m).
Meyer Werft said the cruise industry is now bouncing back from the pandemic, and orders are coming in.
It said that it has €11bn in orders through to 2031, but needs to rely on loans until the newbuilding payments are settled.
However, the German state bailout does not include Meyer Turku in Finland.
Yard boss Tim Meyer told TradeWinds that the Meyer family ownership of the Turku yard remains intact.
The four firm contracts, along with options for two additional ships, are for Royal Caribbean International’s Icon-class cruise vessels.
The first is already in service, with a capacity of up to 7,600 passengers, the next is at the yard waiting to be floated out in a couple of weeks and blocks for numbers three and four lay scattered around the yard.
The Meyer family is celebrating a decade of ownership of the Turku yard after acquiring it from STX Finland in 2014.
CEO Meyer said it has not been an easy decade.
Following the buyout, the yard had to restructure and the family made heavy investments, including a new giant 1,200-tonne gantry crane to supplement the existing 700-tonne crane over the single graving dock.
The dock was extended to accommodate larger ships, enabling the construction of the 365-metre Icon-class vessels. By comparison, the 362-metre Oasis-class ships — previously the largest — were also built by Turku for Royal Caribbean.
A new panel line has been installed, reducing slot time in the construction process. This system assembles the individual building blocks, which are then lowered into the dry dock by gantry cranes and welded together, much like pieces in a life-sized LEGO set.
The yard has also invested in new highly modern welding techniques, which it considers a competitive advantage, banning any photography of ongoing welding during TradeWinds’ visit.
Shipbuilding competence
Boss Meyer recognises the increased competition from China as the country enters the cruise shipbuilding.
He also emphasised China’s ability to construct warships amid current geopolitical tensions, as European shipbuilders face significant challenges.
“This has raised awareness of the competency needed. It is strategically important knowledge, and shipyards are a network of companies involved in shipbuilding,” Meyer said.
Meyer Turku’s current orderbook includes two patrol vessels for the Finnish coastguard, although the hulls for these are being constructed in Poland.
He pointed to the need for countries to have the national skills to energise shipbuilding if geopolitical demands call for it.
The Turku shipyard has had its own welding and pipefitters training school for 62 years, bringing in school leavers to acquire the necessary skills for keeping its shipbuilding competence alive, Meyer said.
“We also work with universities in Finland to make sure they have us on their radar,” he added.
Meyer also addressed what he considered a misleading and frequently made comparison between cruise vacations and hotel stays.
“We are constantly trying to optimise the system, but we are not comparing apples with apples,” he said.
Meyer Turku has work programmes focusing on promoting cruise ships as environmentally friendly and sustainable options for travel by adopting a lifecycle approach in their design and construction processes.
The yard is not only committed to constructing a zero-emission vessel by 2030 but also aims to achieve a “carbon-neutral” shipbuilding process, including the innovative welding investment that remains under wraps.
Fuel is crucial to achieving the goals for this future vessel. Both cruise companies and shipbuilders are now concentrating on LNG as a primary fuel, with an eye towards the future use of e-methane or biomethane.
While they have the same CO2 emission values when measured from tank-to-wake, their emissions may differ from a life cycle, well-to-wake perspective, pending finalisation of the details by the International Maritime Organization.
The four Icon-class vessels being built for Royal Caribbean, for example, will be LNG dual-fuelled.
A TUI vessel built by Meyer Turku last year has a methanol-ready notation, with the design making it ready for conversion when the ship is in dock for refurbishment.
But the fuel conversation ends with methanol-ready and LNG-capable, according to Meyer.
“Ammonia is not the right fuel for cruise ships. It is too aggressive,” he said.
