ABB wins $60 million repeat Azipod order

Azipod XO propulsion units will power two new vessels that MEYER WERFT will build for Norwegian Cruise Line.

17 March, 2015 (Zurich, Switzerland) – ABB, a global leader in power and automation technology, has been awarded a contract worth $60 million to deliver Azipod ® propulsion and power systems to two Norwegian Cruise Line vessels. The Breakaway-Plus class cruise ships will be built by MEYER WERFT of Germany and delivered in Q2 2018 and Q4 2019.

The new 164,000 gt vessels will be equipped with ABB’s fuel-saving Azipod XO electrical propulsion systems, which are already featured on several of Norwegian Cruise Line’s new vessels: the top-of-the-line ‘Norwegian Breakaway’ and ‘Norwegian Getaway’ as well as the larger Breakaway-Plus class ships, Norwegian Escape and Norwegian Bliss, currently under construction at MEYER WERFT. ABB will also deliver complete electric power plants, generators and drives to the ships.
“ABB designed the Axipod XO concept to reduce ship lifecycle costs and increase the profitability of vessels, and this repeat order with MEYER WERFT, the world’s leading cruise ship builder, is a validation to the customer value our flagship propulsion solution delivers”, says Heikki Soljama, Managing Director for ABB’s Marine and Ports Business. “We value the longstanding relationship with Norwegian Cruise Line and are dedicated to earning their confidence in the reliability and quality of our solutions.”

About Azipod® XO

ABB’s Azipod propulsion is a gearless steerable propulsion system where the electric drive motor is in a submerged pod outside the ship hull. Azipod XO concept is designed to reduce vessel lifecycle costs and increase ship profitability. Azipod XO provides shipowners and operators with high efficiency, excellent maneuverability and increased transportation capacity.

Learn more about ABB’s Azipod electric propulsion offering to the cruise industry: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brKlAs95d1w

About MEYER WERFT GmbH & CO KG

Founded in 1795, Papenburg-based MEYER WERFT is owned by the seventh generation of the Meyer family. This well-established company has approximately 3,000 employees. MEYER WERFT’s extensive production program covers a wide range of ship types, from cruise ships and gas tankers to car and passenger ferries. In order to stay successful in worldwide competition, production technology has been continuously improved and extended. Today, MEYER WERFT has the most modern production premises in the shipbuilding industry. For more information, go to www.meyerwerft.com.

About ABB

ABB (www.abb.com) is a leader in power and automation technologies that enable utility, industry, and transport and infrastructure customers to improve performance while lowering environmental impact. The ABB Group of companies operates in around 100 countries and employs about 140,000 people