We've met up with Colin Au in the new cruise boat his company commissioned and built to
carry passengers from the Rhine to the Danube.
The Asian manager has considerable experience in Europe.
"I was born in Malaysia which was a British colony at that time.
So most people go to studies in England.
I wanted to be engineer.
So I studied at the university of Birmingham.
Chemical engineering.
And after that decided to do my business studies.
That is when I went to America."
For now, Colin Au can give his interviews in any of the 55 cabins, but soon Genting
Hong Kong's riverboats will be on the water.
The traditional drum roll when the keel is laid for a new boat is a festive occasion.
What's more, the new Asian owner is beefing up the operation, which is good news for
the regional economy.
Last year Genting bought three German shipyards on the Baltic coast.
Together, they make up the MV Werften company.
It has a workforce of about 1,500 -- and it's hiring.
"We intend to build ten global class, very large ships, plus also river ships and also
expedition yachts.
Over the next ten years - maybe about 15 billion euros in terms of new ships."
Genting Hong Kong spent 230 million euros buying up this yard in Wismar and the two
others, in Warnemünde and Stralsund.
Other overseas investors had shown interest in the yards.
But nothing ever came of it.
What's unusual about the situation here is that Genting, one of the world's largest cruise ship
operators is commissioning ships for its own use.
Colin Au shows us photos of the vessels he's planning to build.
Rhine river yachts like this one.
Robust expedition vessels for trips to the North Pole, and huge cruise ships accommodating
up to 5,000 passengers.
All to be built at Genting's German shipyards.
"In the whole world there are now two companies that can build cruise ships: Meyer in Papenburg
and Turku in Finland.
And Ficantiere in Italy and France.
Both shipyards, if you order a ship now, you are waiting till 2024, 2025
which is too far away.
So by buying our shipyards and building ships, we can get our ships in 2020, which is much earlier.
The Genting Group is perhaps best known for developing and operating casinos and hotels
and resorts.
It expanded into the cruise business in the 1990s.
Many people, including people here in this region of northeastern Germany, were surprised
that the Malaysian conglomerate, or rather its Hong Kong subsidiary, chose to buy shipyards
in Europe.
"Passenger ships are only successfully built in Europe.
And we must be close to the 800 to 900 subcontractors that will be building our ships."
These coins from around the world are supposed to bring luck.
The ceremonial keel laying is a big moment for the city of Wismar.
The mayor is in attendance.
"There's a wave of positivity rolling through Wismar.
The city is growing.
There's a lot of demand for real estate and so on.
There's a sense of excitement in the air."
Colin Au has been with Genting for decades.
The company appears to be here for the long haul:
And hopefully its gamble with German shipyards will pay off.