Lloyd Werft wins TUI Cruise conversion contract

Germany's Lloyd Werft Bremerhaven has won an order from TUI Cruises to convert the Celebrity Cruises Galaxy into the first ship for the new brand.

The ship is being redesigned for the German market in a transformation that involves a €50 million total investment.

The Galaxy, originally delivered from Meyer Werft in 1996, is scheduled to enter Lloyd Werft in mid-March 2009 for a 38 day rebuilding project. A post-conversion christening ceremony in Hamburg has been scheduled for May 15.

Work will include adding additional balcony cabins, new restaurants and a modern spa area.

The ship will have a total of 974 cabins following conversion, with 430 of the 653 outside cabins having balcony. The stern of the ship will also get a "ducktail," a 380 tonne steel substructure similar in weight to the additional balconies/