World’s biggest cruise ship sent to scrapyard before ever setting sail

What was set to be the world’s largest cruise ship by passenger capacity is being sent to the scrapyard - before it ever had a chance to set sail.

The 9,000-passenger, 20-deck vessel, Global Dream II, was designed with an outdoor waterpark and a plush cinema, but has never left the dock.

Built by German-Hong Kong shipbuilding business MV Wefrten, it was almost completed when the company filed for bankruptcy at the beginning of this year.

A buyer for the giant ship has yet to be found, with German cruise industry magazine An Bord reporting that engines and parts would be sold off, while the lower hull is to flogged for scrap price.

Its sister liner, the first Global Dream ship, is currently up for sale but is not set to be scrapped just yet.

Both are currently being stored at a German shipyard, but the clock is ticking to find a buyer for the pair.

The MV Werften administrator Christoph Morgen told a press conference that the company’s shipyard in Wismar had been sold to Thyssenkrupp’s naval unit, which will use it to build military vessels.

The Global Dream II and Global Dream must therefore be removed by the end of 2023.

One of the issues in reselling the ships is that they were designed for the Asian market, according to An Bord; the “cabin, deck and propulsion system” would allegedly need considerable changes before the vessels would be suitable for use in Europe or North America.

Both vessels would have been the largest cruise ships in the world by passenger capacity.

The current title is held by the Royal Caribbean liner Wonder of the Seas, which can hold 6,988 cruisers.