Carnival Plans First LNG-Powered Cruise Ships for North America

Carnival Vista, a recent fleet addition

Carnival Corporation & plc is scheduled to take delivery of two new 180,000 gross-registered-ton cruise ships in 2020 and 2022 for Carnival Cruise Line. Both ships will be powered by Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) under Carnival Corp.’s “green cruising” design and will mark the first time an LNG-powered cruise ship is based in North America.

The two ships, with an approximate passenger capacity of 5,200 based on double occupancy, are being constructed by Finnish shipbuilder Meyer Turku at the company’s Turku, Finland shipyard.

“We are thrilled to be introducing Carnival Corporation’s ‘green cruising’ design platform to North America. Both of these ships will be fully powered at sea and in port by Liquefied Natural Gas, which is the world’s cleanest burning fossil fuel. These ships are being designed for maximum energy efficiency and environmental friendliness,” said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line.

With the same agreement, Carnival Corporation & plc also orders one LNG-propelled 180,000 GT cruise ship from Meyer Werft (Germany) for P&O Cruises, designed to the same “green cruising” specifications and to be delivered in 2020.

Specific design details and itinerary information for the new ships will be announced at a later time.

“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.

The Memorandum of Agreement announced today with Meyer Turku is subject to several conditions, including satisfactory financing.

(Sources: Carnival Corportion and Meyer Turku)