Princess Cruises, the global cruise brand of Carnival, has announced a memorandum of agreement with Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri S.p.A. to build two new cruise ships that will run on liquefied natural gas (LNG).
The new vessels will be Princess Cruises’ first ships to be dual-fuel powered – primarily by LNG, which will significantly reduce air emissions and marine gasoil (MGO), the company says. The new ships, which will be the largest by capacity in the Princess Cruises fleet, will be built at Fincantieri’s shipyard in Monfalcone, Italy.
The new builds are slated to be delivered in late 2023 and spring 2025, respectively.
“This revolutionary platform for next-generation, LNG-powered cruise ships will introduce innovative design and leisure experiences driven by the future vacation and lifestyle trends of our guests – further evolving the already best-in-class Princess Cruises experience we deliver today,” says Jan Swartz, president of Princess Cruises. “We look forward to collaborating with Fincantieri to bring our vision for this next-generation premium cruise ship into service.”
The two ships will be 175,000 gross tons and will accommodate approximately 4,300 guests. The agreements represent Carnival’s 10th and 11th contracted LNG-based vessels.
