Meyer Turku

Anzeige

Meyer Turku

Meyer Turku is the specific shipyard site in the Perno district of Turku where large ocean-going cruise ships are built. It should not be confused with MEYER WERFT in Papenburg: both names belong to the Meyer shipyard group, but refer to different construction sites and distinct shipyard histories. When attributing a ship, the actual site named is therefore more important than a shortened group name.

From the banks of the Aura to the Perno site

Shipbuilding in Turku dates back to 1737, when Esaias Wechter and Heinrich Remgean began building wooden ships on the banks of the Aura. More shipyards followed in the 19th century. The Vulcan shipyard, founded in 1898, merged with the Crichton shipyard on the opposite bank of the Aura River. In 1936, Wärtsilä took over the combined Crichton-Vulcan shipyard as well as the Hietalahti shipyard in Helsinki; in 1965, the name Crichton-Vulcan was replaced by Wärtsilä Turku Shipyard. As housing development and its old location constrained the shipyard on the banks of the Aura, Wärtsilä opened a new shipyard in the Perno district in 1976. Production on the old site continued into the 1980s. Today’s large cruise shipbuilding is therefore associated with the Perno site, not with every historic shipyard location in Turku.

The company name changed again later: a joint venture was formed in 1986 from the combined Wärtsilä and Valmet shipbuilding operations; from 1989, it operated as Masa-Yards. Kvaerner became a co-owner in 1991. Following the merger of Aker and Kvaerner in 2002, the company adopted the name Aker Finnyards in 2004. Its acquisition by STX in 2008 ushered in the STX Finland era. In 2014, the German Meyer family and the Finnish state announced the acquisition of the Turku shipyard; according to the company’s history, the shipyard came fully under Meyer ownership in 2015. These changes over time explain why older ship records may appear under former names, even though the current construction site has not changed.

Icon class and other newbuilds

Icon of the Seas is a concrete example of work carried out in Turku. Meyer Turku identifies the ship’s hull as yard number NB 1400 and confirms its delivery to Royal Caribbean International in 2023. The shipyard describes the Icon class as cruise ships of around 250,800 GT, designed for approximately 7,600 passengers; the stated fuel is liquefied natural gas (LNG). Recent construction history also includes Costa Smeralda, delivered to Costa Crociere in 2019, and Costa Toscana, delivered in 2021. Costa Smeralda was the first LNG-powered cruise ship built at Meyer Turku.

For a newbuild like this, the design and the ship are developed as a project-specific whole. The sequence of prefabricated sections, assembly and undocking is explained in the article on ship sections and shipyard construction. A ship’s length, beam and depth describe the dimensions of that particular newbuild.

Shipyard, customer and ship

Cruise ships can involve different roles for the cruise line, shipyard group and specific shipyard. Royal Caribbean International commissioned the construction of Icon of the Seas, while Meyer Turku is identified as the site carrying out the work. The company that orders a ship or later operates it is therefore not necessarily the same as the operator at the construction site. Registry and ownership questions are also separate matters; an overview is provided in the article on shipowner and registered owner.