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Page 2 of 10 |
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Page 2 of 10 |
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It took two years and 400 million US Dollars to build
Jewel of the Seas.
The construction of modern cruise ships is a mostly European
affair as only a few shipyards have the know-how and
technical facilities to accept such a massive logistic challenge. One
yard that is very highly regarded in the industry is
family-owned Meyer Werft, located in Papenburg in the
northwestern corner of Germany.
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The Meyer family have been building
ships in Papenburg since 1795 and the hi-tech yard now employs 2,500 people.,
Bernhard Meyer, current managing partner of Meyer Werft, is visibly proud of
"his" Jewel of the Seas as he addresses his guests just before the ship is
taken to sea for the first time. |
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And I can fully imagine his pride
when you consider the challenges that had to be overcome in order for the yard
to build such huge ships in the middle of German farmlands. At 2:15 am on
Sunday, April 4th, the lines are cast and amidst deafening sounds of the ship's
horn and the applause of hundreds of shore side spectators, Jewel of the Seas
slowly moves backwards to the narrow lock that leads to the muddy river Ems.
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It seems ridiculous to want to take
this floating mammoth out through what seems no more than a ditch in the middle
of the night, but the guidance of two pilots and the aid of two tugs make
that we manage to get through the first hair-raisingly narrow part without
problems. All in all, the river transit takes 16 hours of stern-first sailing. |
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Despite the wet and windy weather
conditions, well-wishers can be seen lining the river banks everywhere,
with the ship's horn greeting them almost continuously. With only a few feet to
spare, we pass the odd bridge before getting to the wide river estuary where the
mighty ship turns around and tests her sea legs before docking at the Dutch port
of Eemshaven. It is here on April 22nd that Bernhard Meyer officially
hands over Jewel of the Seas to Royal Caribbean International. And is given a cheque
of US$ 400 million in return... |
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