Genting
Hong Kong said it would consolidate the activities of three German
shipyards in the German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern under the name MV Werften. Genting acquired those yards in April.
The new company will be based in Wismar
and will focus on building large new ships.
A fourth Genting-owned German yard, Lloyd Werft, will focus
on its prior business of repairs, conversion and the building of mega-yachts.
Genting said it will spend 100 million euros on a thin plate laser welding line, a cabin module
factory, a new covered-section block-building hall, the modernization of manufacturing
control systems and new executive and employee offices and facilities.
The business will be run by Jarmo Laakso, who was named managing director. Lasko worked for Royal Caribbean International
from 2005 to 2015 and for the German shipyard Meyer Werft before that.
Genting
said MV Werften will deliver the first of four luxury Crystal River ships
in 2017, the first of a series of 20,000 gross ton Crystal Endeavor-class polar
expedition yachts in 2018 and the first of a series of 201,000 gross ton Star
Cruises Global-class cruise ships by 2020.
It also
said the planned annual output of MV Werften will be stepped up in future years
to eventually build two Neo-Panamax cruise ships of over 200,000 gross tons
and one Panamax cruise vessel.