Norwegian Cruise Line's newest ship received its first 350-ton block in a construction ceremony at Meyer Werft in Papenburg, Germany. The first of 67 steel blocks of the new 93,500-ton Norwegian Gem was put into place Saturday. Following an old shipbuilding tradition, Loui Keong Hui, son of NCL Group Chairman Tan Sri Lim, laid the traditional lucky penny before the block was placed by an 800-ton crane. The Norwegian Gem is the seventh ship to be built by Meyer Werft for NCL. It is scheduled for delivery in autumn 2007. The ship will be able to travel at 25 knots while accommodating 2,384 passengers in 1,188 cabins.