The 164,600-gt cruise ship Norwegian Escape, built for the U.S. cruise operator Norwegian Cruise Line, was floated out of Meyer Werft’s covered building dock II on August 15th, after merely 18 months of construction in Papenburg, Germany.

The new ship will now be subjected to more tests to be carried out in the harbor, along with the remaining finishing touches in the next few days. Within a couple of days, the first crew members are expected move into their cabins on board, and familiarize themselves with the ship itself and its numerous systems.

“Meyer Werft has done an excellent job with the construction of Norwegian Escape,” Norwegian Cruise Line’s President and Chief Operating Officer Andy Stuart said. “The ship’s float out brings us one step closer to bringing the next evolution of Freestyle Cruising to the world and we couldn’t be more excited.”

The Norwegian Escape´s conveyance down the river Ems towards the North Sea, where she will prove her seaworthiness, is scheduled for mid-September 2015.

The 164,600 gt cruise ship has a length overall of 325.9 m, making it the largest cruise ship in Norwegian Cruise Line’s fleet, and is 41.40 m wide.

The ship is part of the Breakaway Plus class and is scheduled for delivery on the 22nd of October this year.

Norwegian Escape will sail weekly 7-night cruises from her year-round homeport of Miami to the Eastern Caribbean beginning on November 14, 2015.