Meyer Werft Secures Future with First MSC Cruises Order

In a major development for the German shipbuilder Meyer Werft and the cruise industry, MSC Cruises signed a letter of intent to build four cruise ships and an option for two more, securing the future of the German shipyard. The first order from MSC Cruises to the German shipbuilder is being valued at a minimum of €10 billion (US$11.74 billion) according to government officials.

MSC is continuing its rapid growth in the cruise sector. The company currently has 23 cruise ships in operation and six large (215,863 gross ton) cruise ships on order in France, each with capacity for more than 6,500 passengers. The company last month extended the order for the World Class with Chantiers de l’Atlantique, which has built most of its cruise ships, as well as four ships built by Fincantieri for MSC Cruises.

Calling the order with Meyer the “New Frontier” platform, the company plans to build 180,000 gross ton ships with a maximum capacity of 5,400 passengers. Delivery, they said, would start in 2030 and continue until at least 2035. They are working to complete the firm order over the next six months, said German officials.

“The ‘New Frontier’ class will allow us to design new and exclusive itineraries, offer our guests an exceptional experience, and implement next-generation environmental technologies that will advance our net-zero target for 2050,” said Pierfrancesco Vago, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of MSC Cruises.

German government officials and Meyer Werft highlighted that the order secures full capacity utilization for the shipyard well into the next decade. The yard won two orders in 2024 from Carnival Cruise Line for two more 180,000 gross ton cruise ships, similar to the Carnival Jubilee delivered in 2023. It is also building two more 144,000 gross ton cruise ships for Disney, based on the Disney Wish class, and will be followed by three smaller cruise ships for Disney based on a new design.

The announcement of the agreement with MSC was hosted at the German Economic Ministry, which was part of the 2024 deal to bail out Meyer Werft by acquiring 80 percent of the company and providing a credit facility valued at €2.6 billion to complete the current orderbook. Government officials emphasized that the goal was to make the company “sufficiently stable” so that it could be returned to private ownership. The Meyer family, which had to relinquish control as part of the deal, has a first right of refusal to reacquire the shipyard in Papenburg, Germany. The goal is to return it to the private market by 2028.

Just last week, Meyer Werft announced a planned transition of the management of the company. Bernd Eikens, who has been CEO of the company, as planned, at his request, will step down in mid-2026. They announced that Andre Walter, who has been Chairman of the Management Board of Airbus Aerostructures GmbH and Airbus GmbH in Hamburg since 2022, will become CEO of Meyer Werft on July 1, 2026. Walter began his career at Airbus in 2006 with various technical and management positions.