Cruise Ships News

Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri has delivered Norwegian Aqua cruise ship to Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL).Norwegian Aqua is the first ship of the expanded Prima Plus Class that Fincantieri is building for NCL.At 156,300 gross tons and a length that spans 1,056 feet, Norwegian Aqua is 10% larger than the first two Prima Class vessels, Norwegian Prima and Norwegian Viva, which also feature the craftmanship of Fincantieri.In addition to the delivery of Norwegian Aqua, the Fincantieri shipyard in Marghera will experience another milestone tomorrow…

American Cruise Lines said that American Legend, the newest small ship in the company’s innovative Project Blue series, was christened in Key West, Florida. The celebration took place while the ship was docked at Mallory Square, just steps from the City’s vibrant town center. American Legend was visiting Key West along one of the company’s popular 8-Day Florida Gulf Coast & Keys cruises, which sail roundtrip from St. Petersburg, Florida. American’s new Florida itineraries are…

TUI Cruises, a joint venture between German TUI Group and Royal Caribbean Cruises, has taken delivery of the first of two liquefied natural gas (LNG) and marine gas oil (MGO) powered cruise ships Fincantieri is building for the shipowner.With approximately 160,000 gross tons, the dual-fuel powered InTUItion-class ship forms the backbone of TUI Cruises’ new fleet.Named Mein Schiff Relax, the ship is able to use LNG and is future-proof with the ability to utilize low-emission fuels such as bio- or e-LNG…

Fincantieri and Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings (NCL) have signed a multi-billion dollar agreement for the construction of four new cruise ships.With a gross tonnage of approximately 226,000 tons, the new units will be the largest ever built for NCL.The ships will be built at the Fincantieri Monfalcone shipyard, with the first unit to be delivered in 2030 and the others to follow in 2032, 2034, and 2036.Fincantieri deemed the contract ‘very important’, which means its value exceeds $2 billion.

Lloyd's Register (LR) has introduced its first class notation for fin stabilizers. With the increasing demand for enhanced passenger experiences on modern cruise ships, fin stabilizers have become integral to providing a smooth and enjoyable journey.Located under the waterline on the side of a ship's hull, fin stabilizers provide a roll damping effect, counteracting the ship's natural roll and ensuring a stable voyage.The new class notation covers the strength, machinery and control aspects of fin stabilizers, including their integration into the ship's hull.

Marine and energy services firm Goltens has hosted a keel-laying ceremony on for the innovative Polar expedition vessel Captain Arctic, which has been purpose-designed for sustainable maritime travel.The ceremony, held in November, welcomed CEO Sophie Galvagnon and Technical Director Pierrick Delaunay of the ship's French owner, Selar, while Goltens' shipbuilder client, Chantier Naval de l'Ocean Indien (CNOI), was represented by Managing Director Frank Piriou, Deputy General Director Nicolas Perrier and Project Leader Jean Charles Davy.Representatives of the vessel's classification society…

Back in August 2024, in its blog Fact from Fiction: Methane Slip, the industry group SEA-LNG stated: “It’s human nature to have an opinion. And everyone is entitled to one. What’s potentially damaging is when emotive opinions with limited substance are heralded as fact.”This week MSC Cruises had to reconsider what it was saying about LNG.NGO Opportunity Green reports that, following a complaint it made in March 2024, the UK Advertising Standards Authority has resolved an issue regarding claims MSC Cruises was making about LNG.

Newly released data from the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) states that about 97% of the world’s fleet of cruise ships was built in Europe, and 98% of ships on order, based on cost, will be built here.The total investment cruise lines are making in new ships built in Europe from 2024 to 2036 is currently €57 billion, with additional orders anticipated.In the next 12 years, 72 of the 76 ocean cruise ships will be built in European shipyards (97%) of which 40 in Italy (52.6%)…

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) has launched the Mitsui Ocean Fuji cruise ship, owned by MOL Group company MOL Cruises.The 32,477-ton Mitsui Ocean Fuji, the first cruise ship in Japan with all suite cabins, will offer a total of five debut cruise packages and one New Year's cruise through January 2025.In addition to cruises to and from Yokohama, it also offers cruises to andfrom Kobe and Nagoya, and cruise to and from Beppu, Shimonoseki, Shingu, Kochi, Nagoya, Sakaide, Kobe, Matsuyama…

Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri has received an order for a new cruise ship from U.S.-based cruise operator Crystal, following the exercise of the option granted under the two-unit agreement from June 2024.The value of the agreement, subject to financing and other terms and conditions, is considered as large, which for Fincantieri means it represents a value between $590 million to $1.07 billion.Crystal MoA for 2+1 Cruise Ship OrderThe new unit, as its sister ships, will boast a gross tonnage of 61…

It has been 10 years since the Meyer family's shipbuilding company became the host of the Turku shipyard in Finland. In the anniversary year, the shipbuilder said its direction remains clear: Both the world's most advanced cruise ships and the shipyard's own operations aim for carbon neutrality.Meyer Turk CEO Tim Meyer said, "We are proud to continue Turku's shipbuilding tradition dating back to 1737. The acquisition we made 10 years ago was mainly based on two grounds: First, Turku has a long shipbuilding tradition and world-class know-how.

Royal Caribbean lifted its annual profit forecast on Tuesday for the fourth time this year, driven by strong demand at higher prices for its voyages to private destinations, as well as its European and Alaskan vacations.Cruise operators have signaled that revenge travel - which boosted bookings following the pandemic lockdowns - has now been replaced by a growing shift among travelers to seek sea-based vacations.The company's shares rose about 1.3% in choppy morning trade, set to add to the 57% gain this year through Monday close.Royal Caribbean said demand for 2025 was strong…

American Cruise Lines announced the construction of American Maverick and American Ranger, the seventh and eighth vessels in the company’s Project Blue series of small ships for the U.S. market. Both vessels are slated to begin cruising in 2026, directly following the 2025 debuts of American Patriot, American Pioneer and new riverboat American Encore (2026).American’s Project Blue series began with four 100-passenger Coastal Cats introduced in 2023 and 2024. The newest Patriot Class ships…

Finnish shipbuilder Meyer Turku has floated out Star of the Seas, the second Icon-class cruise ship for U.S. cruise giant Royal Caribbean.The float out was celebrated at the Turku, Finland shipyard with an event that included the firing of a ceremonial cannon. The dry dock gates were opened, and the dry dock—measuring 16 meters deep, 80 meters wide and 365 meters long—was filled with water, a 9-hour process. Once the dry dock was fully flooded, the ship was floated out and moved to the outfitting pier, where the final outfitting stages are now underway.

Sustainability claims by MSC Cruises, including that it targets "net zero by 2050" do not meet standards, the Dutch advertising board found on Wednesday in one of the first decisions against a cruise operator following a greenwashing complaint.MSC, a privately held Swiss-Italian firm that is among the world's largest cruise operators, said in a reaction it welcomed some parts of the decision and had "already implemented most of the changes advised".Greenwashing entails a company giving a misleading impression of its environmental credentials.

Carnival Corp raised its annual profit forecast for the third time on Monday and beat market expectations for third-quarter results, helped by strength in demand for cruise vacations as well as easing costs of operations.Cruise operators benefit from increased demand for vacations at sea during the summer, boosting an already robust year for the companies as more travelers opt for the cruise experience."Strong demand enabled us to increase our full-year yield guidance for the third time this year…

Cruise passengers are to set sail from Belfast on Monday on a three-and-a-half-year world voyage after being stranded in the city for months as the ship underwent unexpected repair works. Some plan to make it their forever home.Passengers of the Villa Vie Residences' Odyssey, described as the world's first continual cruise, can either buy their cabins for the entire operational life of the ship or rent them to travel segments of the journey.The ship, with capacity for 650 passengers…

Sweden-based PowerCell Group announced it has signed one of the world’s largest orders of marine fuel cell systems to date with a Italian marine OEM manufacturer. The order value is approximately SEK 165 million (US$16.3 million) and the deliveries will begin in the middle of 2025 and be completed by the end of the year.The order is in three parts and consists of 56 units of the Marine System 225 in total where the majority will be installed on commercial cruise ships. The fuel cell systems will provide auxiliary power to a ship’s internal electricity systems, totaling more than 6.3 MW.

Fincantieri and MSC Group have celebrated the progress on the construction of cruise ships for the Explora Journeys fleet, marking the delivery of Explora II, the coin ceremony for Explora III, and the steel cutting for Explora IV cruise ships.The cruise ships are part of the fleet of six ships belonging to Explora Journeys, the luxury brand recently launched by the MSC Group.The first cruise ship was delivered in July 2023, and all vessels are built in Italy by Fincantieri, with a total MSC investment exceeding $3.85 billion (€3.5 billion)…

American Liberty, the third new Coastal Cat in American Cruise Lines’ series of 100-passenger ships, was christened in Newport, R.I. this week.Built by Chesapeake Shipbuilding in Salisbury, Md., American Liberty is the newest ship in American’s ongoing Project Blue series of 12 new small ships for river and coastal cruising in the U.S. Several more ships in the series are already under construction, including the fourth Coastal Cat, American Legend, which is set to begin cruising in November 2024…

Royal Caribbean Group on Tuesday announced an agreement with Finnish shipbuilder Meyer Turku for the construction of up to three new Icon Class vessels—the world's largest cruise ships. The deal includes one firm order for scheduled delivery in 2027 plus options for two additional vessels.The U.S.-based cruise giant has been steadily growing its capacity amid continued strong demand across the cruise sector, with a newbuild pipeline that now includes seven new ships on order and two shipyard options.These latest orders are the fourth, fifth and sixth ships in Royal Caribbean's Icon Class.

German shipbuilder Meyer Werft has floated out Disney Treasure, a new cruise ship being built for U.S.-based Disney Cruise Line.The 144,000 GT newbuild left the shipyard's building dock and is now berthed in the harbor, where final interior outfitting will take place ahead of scheduled delivery later this year.The second in a series of four Wish class cruise ships Meyer Werft is building for Disney, the Disney Treasure has capacity for 4,000 passengers in 1,240 cabins.Like sister ship Disney Wish delivered by Meyer Werft in 2022…

Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings on Wednesday raised its annual profit forecast for a third time this year, riding on sustained demand for luxury voyages and higher ticket prices.With people continuing to splurge on experiences and services over discretionary goods, operators have seen record booking rates for affordable cruise vacations, giving them enough opportunity to increase ticket prices."We are witnessing robust demand with strong pricing and booking volumes leading to record-breaking advanced ticket sales…