NIT has signed large contracts with Meyer Turku to build interior areas for two new cruise ships, which will be operated by TUI Cruises of Germany.
The ships will be named Mein Schiff 5 and 6 and they will be ready for the customer in 2016 and 2017. NIT will be responsible for a total of five turnkey deliveries in both ships: a restaurant, bars and crew area stairs.
The new projects include also the technical installations inside previously mentioned areas and they are similar to the previous deals with Mein Schiff 3 and Mein Schiff 4. The contract includes options for the next two ships as well.
“We have went through difficult times when some influential people said, that the sun sets down for this industry”, says CEO Jari Suominen of NIT.
“But now I see it rising again, and the future looks bright for the Turku shipyard and its partners in this region.”
Despite the challenging economy, Mr. Suominen sees positive long-term outlook for the cruise ship market. Suominen expects that the successful Mein Schiff series will be followed by new exciting projects coming up for Turku, now under new German ownership in the shape of Meyer Werft:
“I wouldn’t be surprised, if we see the most innovative ships being built again in Turku.”
NIT has recently expanded its operations also to Meyer Werft’s shipyard in Papenburg, Germany. NIT team is currently installing the conference center, casino and concierge lounge for the cruise ship Anthem of the Seas, which is being built in the Papenburg shipyard owned by Meyer Werft.
This project is similar to the work, which NIT concluded earlier this autumn with Quantum of the Seas, another big cruise ship build by Papenburg yard. The both vessels will be owned and operated by Royal Caribbean International.