Two ships will be built at Meyer Turku for Carnival and a third will be built for P&O Cruises at Meyer Werft
By
Rebecca Gibson |
Carnival Corporation & plc has signed a memorandum of agreement for three additional next-generation, LNG-powered cruise ships to be built by German and Finnish shipbuilders Meyer Werft and Meyer Turku.
Two of the 180,000gt, 5,200-guest vessels will be built by Meyer Turku at its Turku yard and join the Carnival Cruise Line brand in 2020 and 2022. The third will be built by Meyer Werft at its Papenburg shipyard and is expected to be delivered in 2020. All three ships will be able to use LNG to generate 100% of their power both in port and at sea. This will help to significantly reduce exhaust emissions and allow the company to meet sustainability goals.
In total, the company now has agreements in place to build seven LNG-powered cruise ships across four of its ten global cruise brands. The first of these ships are expected to be in service for AIDA Cruises and Costa Cruises in 2019.
“We are excited to welcome P&O Cruises back to Meyer Werft in Germany and Carnival Cruise Line back to Meyer Turku in Finland,” said Bernard Meyer, managing partner of Meyer Werft. “These new ships will be built in our most modern and environmentally friendly facilities, and we are very proud to design, build and deliver these ships that provide breakthroughs in innovation and for the environment.”
Carnival Cruise Line’s two newbuilds will be the largest in the fleet and be the first LNG-powered cruise ships to be based in North America. They will also be the first Carnival ships to be built in Finland for 12 years.
“This new ship order signifies an extraordinarily exciting future for Carnival Cruise Line and the opportunities that lie ahead to introduce a variety of magnificent new features and innovations to further enhance our outstanding guest experience,” said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line. “We are also thrilled to be introducing Carnival Corporation's 'green cruising' design platform to North America.”
P&O Cruises’ newbuild will be the largest cruise ship to be built specifically for the British market and the most environmentally efficient ship in P&O Cruises history. It will offer an extensive range of dining, entertainment and other features.
“P&O Cruises is uniquely experienced in designing ships to meet the specific needs and aspirations of British passengers and the agreement by Carnival Corporation & plc to build a new ship of this size reflects all that our guests and prospective cruisers have been telling us and shows our confidence in the growth of the UK market,” said Paul Ludlow, P&O Cruises senior vice president. “This ship will be the largest in the P&O Cruises fleet, will have a striking new exterior and interior design and will comprehensively embrace the company’s classic and iconic features. Innovative new guest experiences will be announced soon.”
Including these three newbuilds and Seabourn Cruise Line’s refurbished Seabourn Encore, which will re-enter service in December 2016, Carnival Corporation has a total of 18 new ships scheduled to be delivered between 2016 and 2022.
“We are proud to be at the forefront of introducing LNG-powered ships to the cruise industry, working with our partners to achieve shipbuilding breakthroughs like this that will help us produce the most efficient and sustainable ships we have ever built,” said Arnold Donald, CEO of Carnival Corporation & plc. “This is also an important step in our fleet enhancement plan that enables us to execute on our long-term strategy of measured capacity growth over time, while delivering innovative new ships that further elevate our already great guest experience. Every time we launch a new ship, we have a new opportunity to create excitement and show consumers why cruising is a great vacation at an exceptional value, especially for those who typically consider land-based vacations.”