Disney Cruise Line has bought the nearly completed giant cruise ship Global Dream that MV Werften was building at the time its parent company Genting Hong Kong collapsed in January.
The US-based operator said it will work with German shipbuilder Meyer Werft to complete the 208,000-gt vessel in Wismar, where it has languished since Genting’s shipyard subsidiary MV Werften declared bankruptcy in tandem with its parent.
“The ship will be renamed, with certain features reimagined under the world-renowned expertise of Walt Disney Imagineers, and is expected to set sail in 2025,” Disney said.
It said it acquired the Global Dream “at a favourable price and within the capital expenditure guidance”. The ship was 90% complete when the work stopped.
“Our cruise ships give us the unique opportunity to bring Disney magic to fans no matter where they are, and the addition of this ship will make a Disney Cruise Line vacation accessible to more families than ever before,” said Josh D’Amaro, chairman of Disney Parks, Experiences & Products.
Disney will provide details on the ship’s new name, design and future operations later, but did indicate that it would be based outside the US.
TradeWinds first reported Disney’s interest in the Global Dream in October.
The sale ends one of the biggest tasks of MV Werften’s insolvency administrator, Christoph Morgen, who at one point admitted that the ship could be scrapped if a buyer could not be found.
Morgen was under pressure to find a buyer after MV Werften’s Wismar shipyard was sold in June to Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems, which wants to use the Global Dream’s building dock for constructing submarines.
A second Global-class cruise ship that was in the first stage of construction at the time of Genting’s collapse was subsequently dismantled and the steel and equipment ordered for its construction sold.
Disney currently operates a fleet of five cruise ships, with two more 135,000-gt newbuildings under construction at Meyer Werft that are scheduled for delivery next year.
