From a Small Ferry to a Cruise Ship: 100 Years of Shipbuilding at MEYER WERFT

100 Years of the Ditzum-Petkum Ferry: How MEYER WERFT Became a Cruise Shipbuilder

What is difficult to imagine today was the beginning of a development that would shape shipbuilding in Papenburg for decades to come. On August 15, 1926, MEYER WERFT delivered a ferry measuring just 24 metres in length and almost six metres in width.

 The vessel was built for the ferry connection between Ditzum and Petkum across the Ems River. This small ferry marked an early milestone in the history of the shipyard – and, in retrospect, one of the first steps on a journey that would eventually lead to the construction of some of the world's largest cruise ships.

The Ditzum-Petkum Ferry Became Part of Everyday Life

The ferry entered service in autumn 1926. At the time, the connection across the Ems was particularly important for local residents and commuters. The next alternative crossing was located in Leer, considerably farther away.

Because the ferry was originally powered by a steam engine, local residents commonly referred to it as the “Damper”. Over the decades, the vessel underwent several modernisations. Its original steam engine has long since disappeared, but the ferry's hull and its fundamental purpose have remained.

Today, the ferry continues to connect Ditzum and Petkum and is also popular with cyclists travelling between Germany and the Netherlands. According to MEYER WERFT, around 60,000 people use the ferry every year. The service is now operated by the district of Leer.

From Small Ferries to Large Passenger Ships

The history of the Ditzum-Petkum ferry also reflects the development of MEYER WERFT itself. Over the decades, the Papenburg shipyard moved from building small ferries to increasingly larger and more technically sophisticated passenger vessels.

Ferry construction became an important part of the shipyard's business, particularly during the 1970s and 1980s. MEYER WERFT built numerous vessels for international customers, including operators in Scandinavia and Indonesia.

The experience gained from designing and constructing large ferries and passenger ships provided an important foundation for the shipyard's later expansion into cruise shipbuilding.

The transition from a small river ferry to modern cruise ships was therefore not a sudden leap. It was the result of decades of technological development and growing expertise – from small ferries and increasingly large passenger ferries to highly complex cruise ships.

Silja Europa Became a Milestone

The scale of this development became particularly clear in 1993 with the delivery of Silja Europa. Built by MEYER WERFT, the ship was regarded at the time as the world's largest passenger ferry.

With its size, passenger capacity and design, Silja Europa set new standards for ferry travel. More than three decades after its delivery, the ship still looks surprisingly modern.

Silja Europa therefore represents an important chapter in the development that ultimately transformed MEYER WERFT into one of the world's leading builders of large cruise ships.

What Connects the Historic Ferry and Today's Cruise Ships?

The story of the Ditzum-Petkum ferry illustrates just how dramatically shipbuilding has changed over the past century. On one side is a 24-metre-long ferry that originally relied on a steam engine. On the other are today's enormous cruise ships, equipped with highly sophisticated technology, capable of carrying thousands of passengers and incorporating countless complex systems.

Despite the enormous difference in scale, there is a direct connection between the two. The experience gained from building ferries and passenger ships formed an important part of the technical and organisational foundation on which MEYER WERFT's modern cruise shipbuilding business was built.

The small Ditzum-Petkum ferry is therefore more than just a historic vessel. It symbolises the development of a shipyard that grew from a regional shipbuilder into one of the world's best-known manufacturers of large cruise ships.

100 Years of the Ditzum-Petkum Ferry

The ferry's centenary will be celebrated on October 3, 2026, exactly 100 years after its commissioning.

For MEYER WERFT, the anniversary is also an opportunity to look back at its own roots. Long before the shipyard in Papenburg became synonymous with giant cruise ships, smaller ferries and passenger vessels were part of its shipbuilding portfolio.

The Ditzum-Petkum ferry has survived this transformation. Its hull remains in service and its basic purpose has not changed. While the dimensions of shipbuilding around it have grown enormously, the little ferry continues to carry people across the Ems – serving as a reminder that even the world's largest cruise ships have their origins in much smaller vessels.