Cruise Ships News

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)…

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.

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…

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…

Concordia Damen has secured a contract with an undisclosed Swiss luxury river cruise operator to deliver its River Cruise 135 vessel.The new ship will have hybrid propulsion for reduced fuel consumption and lower emissions, high insulation, laser-controlled ventilation, and environmentally friendly materials are used for the outfitting, to name but a few features. “We are excited to partner with this leading Swiss operator to deliver our innovative River Cruise 135. One of the features I personally like best is the fact that we’ve integrated solar panels in the railing…

Germany-based cruise operator Phoenix Reisen has retrofitted its 205-meter, 835-passenger capacity ship MS Amera with ABB’s DC technology to improve the vessel’s efficiency and lower its emissions during port calls.The vessel is now equipped with ABB’s Onboard DC Grid power system platform and shore connection.Following commissioning and sea trials, Amera has become the first cruise ship retrofitted with Onboard DC Grid.The project involved the replacement of the vessel’s AC system with modern DC technology.

Olympic surfers based in Tahiti will miss out on the spectacle of the Games' opening ceremony on Friday, but might have trumped their Paris-based peers with their accommodation in a freighter-cum-cruise ship serving as a floating athletes' village.With limited accommodation options in the small villages dotted around Tahiti's southern coast, Paris 2024 decided to house most surfers in the unique-looking 126-metre (413-foot) Aranui 5, which is anchored in the lagoon about 10 km (6.2 miles) from the venue of Teahupo'o."It's my first time on a cruise ship…

Armed with selfie sticks and phones, the tourists flood into Santorini from everywhere - on dinghies from giant ocean liners, on coaches that zigzag up the steep hillsides, atop donkeys that clip-clop along the narrow cobbled streets.Some brave the afternoon heat to find a good spot among the white-washed houses and blue-domed churches where they then wait hours to watch the Greek island's famed sunset. As the sun dips, many more join them, squeezing along the cliffside or onto balconies…

American Cruise Lines' third new Coastal Cat cruise ship, American Liberty, has completed sea trials and is gearing up to sail its inaugural cruise in August.The 100-passenger American Liberty, built by Chesapeake Shipbuilding in Salisbury, Md., 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…

Carnival Corporation, the world's largest cruise company, announced on Tuesday that it has ordered a trio of ultra large cruise ships from Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri for its Carnival Cruise Line brand.At nearly 230,000 gross registered tonnes, and with capacity for nearly 8,000 passengers in 3,000 guest staterooms, the new ships will be the largest in Carnival's global fleet.The three liquefied natural gas (LNG)-fueled ships will be delivered in the summers of 2029, 2031 and 2033…