MV Werften announced today that it has started the tow of the midsection of the Global Dream from Rostock-Warnemunde to Wismar.

The transport of the 216 meter long and 57 meter tall section was expected to take almost one day, covering 43 nautical miles.

MV Werften CEO Peter Fetten commented: “I’m very satisfied with the work performed by our colleagues and partners on this gigantic project. A total of 145 large sections have already been assembled. This work is now being continued at the Wismar location.”

The transfer comprises three phases. In the first phase, the center section of the Global Dream had to be taken out of dock in Warnemünde. The dock was flooded yesterday, the dock gate removed and the hull pulled out with the aid of a leading tug. Then two assisting tugs tied up at the front part of the section, and a stern tug and two other assisting tugs tied up at the rear area and also provided steering assistance.

After the undocking, a Rostock pilot tok over control of the leading tug and guided the ship safely out of the Rostock port area.

The second phase, the transfer via a route of about 29 miles in the Baltic, is scheduled to begin this evening, with the hull being towed by two tugs forming a tug convoy proceeding at a speed of two knots, or just under 2.5 mph. The transfer to the island of Poel in the Bay of Wismar is expected to take about seven hours assuming optimal weather conditions.

This is where the third and final phase begins, when a pilot again assumes control and maneuvers the tug convoy into the Bay of Wismar. The section is due to arrive in the Port of Wismar at about 3 p.m. on Nov. 23.. There it will be docked with the aid of four other tugs and secured in the dock hall.

The Global Dream is the largest ship ever built in Germany at 208,000 tons with a length of 342 meters and width of 46 meters. She can accommodate up to 9,500 passengers and 2,200 crew members – more persons than any other cruise ship. The passenger cabins will measure at least 20 square meters and are thus among the most spacious in the cruise sector, according to MV Werften. They are said to be approximately 15 percent larger than the standard cabins provided on other ships.