Asuka III Marks First Year Since Meyer Werft Delivery
During its delivery voyage around Africa, Asuka III passed the original Asuka off the Canary Islands and later sailed with Asuka II near St. Helena.
The 744-passenger, LNG-powered Asuka III has passed its first year since Meyer Werft delivered the ship to Asuka Cruise on April 10, 2025. The 51,950-gross-ton newbuild was the company’s first new cruise ship in more than 25 years and began carrying guests from Yokohama on July 20, 2025, after a no-passenger repositioning voyage to Japan.
The addition gave the Japanese-market Asuka operation a two-ship fleet, with NYK Cruises operating Asuka II and Asuka III. Asuka II entered service for the company in 2006 and had long been its main cruise vessel.
Delivery voyage linked Asuka ships past and present
After leaving Meyer Werft, Asuka III sailed to Asia on a delivery voyage around Africa. During the repositioning, the ship passed the original Asuka off the Canary Islands; that vessel now sails for Phoenix Reisen.
The new ship also sailed in company with Asuka II near St. Helena in the South Atlantic. It reached Asia in early June 2025 and then moved into final preparations in Yokohama ahead of passenger service.
Asuka III was named on July 11, 2025, at the Osanbashi International Passenger Terminal. Tamiko Soga, wife of Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha President Takaya Soga, served as godmother, with Asuka II also present for the ceremony.
The ship is about 229 meters long and was built with 385 passenger cabins and 470 crew berths. All guest accommodations are outside cabins with balconies, and the vessel is fitted with LNG-capable dual-fuel propulsion and shore-power capability.
First season stayed close to Japan
Asuka III’s first passenger season focused on domestic cruising, with itineraries from Japanese ports to 30 destinations in the country. Calls included Hakodate, Otaru, Takamatsu, Shingu, Muroran and Moji.
The inaugural-year program included a 12-night Japan circumnavigation sailing roundtrip from Yokohama. That cruise called at ports including Kanazawa, Maizuru and Beppu.
The 2026 schedule keeps Asuka III in Japan-based service, with departures planned from Yokohama, Kobe, Nagoya and Hakata. The next announced longer-range deployment is a 22-day South Pacific itinerary in early 2027, with calls including Guam and Palau.
