Courtesy: Emrys Thakkar | News Source: cruisehive.com

Norwegian Cruise Line’s newest cruise ship the Norwegian Encore has departed the shipyard in Germany for sea trials in the North Sea.

Norwegian Encore Leaves Shipyard

The final Breakaway-plus class cruise from NCL has departed the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany for the very last time. The shiny new cruise ship named Norwegian Encore has completed her River Ems conveyance to begin sea trials in the north sea.

On Monday morning the vessel started her complex journey which is known as the River Ems conveyance, something which every new cruise ship built at the Meyer Werft shipyard must go through. The ship went through the first lock of many at around 10:00 PM and assisted by two tug boats through the entire conveyance aft first.

Andy Stuart, president and chief executive officer of Norwegian Cruise Line, said:

“Today we celebrate a huge milestone for our history-making ship.”

“Now is when the anticipation truly begins to build.  Our partners at Meyer Werft have collaborated with us to bring the industry-leading experiences from the successful Breakaway Plus class ships to Norwegian Encore, making her truly the best in class.”

The conveyance is one of the last major steps before delivery to Norwegian Cruise Line on October 20, 2019. She is now at Eemshaven, Netherlands to begin the important sea trials in the North Sea. The trials will make sure the vessel is seaworthy and the opportunity to test propulsion and maneuverability systems which cannot be done at the shipyard.

At nearly 1,100 feet long, with a gross tonnage of almost 170,000 and a guest capacity of 3,998, the ship will be delivered to the cruise line on Oct. 30, 2019. She will be christened by Grammy Award-winning artist Kelly Clarkson in Miami on Nov. 21, 2019 and will commence seven-day voyages to the Caribbean on Nov. 24, 2019.
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Also Read: Kelly Clarkson to be Godmother for Norwegian Cruise Line’s Newest Ship

Launching this fall, Norwegian Encore will offer seven-day voyages to the Eastern Caribbean from Miami beginning Nov. 24, 2019; Bermuda, and Canada and New England itineraries from New York City beginning Apr. 22, 2020; and voyages to the Western Caribbean from Miami beginning Dec. 12, 2020.  In the spring of 2021, she will make her West Coast debut and sail to Alaska from Seattle.

Photos & Footage: NCL