Meyer Werft to build four LNG cruise ships for Carnival Corporation

Two of the 180,000gt ships will be built at Meyer Werft in Germany and two at Meyer Turku in Finland
Meyer Werft to build four LNG cruise ships for Carnival Corporation
Two of the newbuilds will be built at the Meyer Turku shipyard in Finland

By Rebecca Gibson |


Meyer Werft has won a multibillion-dollar contract to build four of the world’s first LNG-powered cruise ships for Carnival Corporation & plc.

The contract is part of Carnival Corporation’s measured capacity growth strategy, which involves replacing ships with less efficient capacity with newer, larger and more fuel-efficient vessels over time. It also builds on the two strategic memorandums of agreement Carnival Corporation signed with Meyer Werft and Fincantieri to construct a total of nine new cruise ships for its fleet over a four-year period between 2019 and 2022.

In an industry first, each of the 180,000gt newbuilds will be fitted with dual-powered hybrid engines, enabling them to use LNG to generate 100% of their power while at sea and in port. This will help to eliminate sulphur oxide and soot emissions.

Designed to make more efficient use of the onboard space and offer the highest guest capacity ever, each of the cruise ships will accommodate 6,600 guests, have more than 5,000 lower berths and offer a number of innovative onboard features for guests. Each new ship will be specifically designed and developed for the brand and the guests it will serve.

The ships’ designs have been created by Meyer Werft, Meyer Turku and Carnival Corporation's newbuild team. They have been inspired by Micky Arison, chairman of Carnival Corporation’s board of directors, and Michael Thamm, CEO of the Costa Group, which includes AIDA Cruises and Costa Cruises.

“At a cost per berth in line with our existing order book, these new ships will enhance the return profile of our fleet,” said Arnold Donald, CEO of Carnival Corporation. “It will be exciting to see our shipbuilding team bring these new ships to life. Every step of the way, our focus is on designing state-of-the-art ships that provide a vacation experience our guests will love, and we are putting all of our creative energy and resources into making sure we achieve that goal.”

Two of the ships will be built at the Meyer Werft yard in Papenburg, Germany, and will join the AIDA Cruises fleet in 2019 and 2020.

The remaining two newbuilds will be constructed at the Meyer Turku yard in Turku, Finland. Carnival Corporation will release more information about which brand the ships will join at a later date.

“This order is very important for us at Turku yard, since it provides us and our specialised maritime subcontractors with the long sought-after stability that allows us all to develop and improve our operations,” said Jan Meyer, CEO of Meyer Turku. “With these ships we are again pushing the limits in many respects. Thus, we can and need to use the newly gained long-term stability to prepare ourselves well in order to meet the demands of these challenging projects.”

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