Shipyard De Hoop has achieved a long-standing ambition to produce more than one kilometre of ships for Lueftner Cruises, having recently secured an order a tenth river cruise vessel for the Austrian shipping company.
De Hoop has been designing and building for Lueftner since 1996. The first vessel, the 110-metre-long 'Amadeus', It was a 2.5-deck vessel specially designed for the client, with a shallow, canoe-shaped hull design with deep shafts for the propellers. The first Lueftner ships are still the fastest passenger vessels on the Rhine. De Hoop built five vessels to this first, basic design, each with different internal layouts.
After these first five ships, the basic design concept was renewed, resulting in a full three-deck 110-metre vessel with a square bow called the Cadillac Bow, creating more space for cabins within the length of the vessel. The first vessel of this design was called 'Amadeus Princess', and was delivered by De Hoop in 2006. It was a big success for Lueftner, who were keen to order another one.
However, the unconventional bow was seen as a disadvantage, so De Hoop was given the challenge of designing a new ship with a traditional bow, while conserving the extra space of 'Amadeus Princess'. The solution was to construct a vessel with a folding bow. This new design concept was subsequently used to build three ships: 'Amadeus Diamond', 'Amadeus Elegant' and 'Amadeus Brilliant'.
The tenth ship ordered by Lueftner will again feature a new design concept, with low fuel consumption, more passenger capacity, more public spaces and increased comfort at the same price.
Lueftner owns a total of ten vessels, which sail mainly between Amsterdam and the Black Sea. 'Amadeus Symphony' sails in France, on the Rhone.
