Pleasure cruise company Carnival Corp. announced June 15 it has
signed a multi-billion dollar contract with German shipyard Meyer Werft to build
four liquefied natural gas-powered cruise ships that, Carnival says, would have
the largest guest capacity in the world.
Carnival says the four new ships will be the first in the cruise
industry to use LNG in dual-powered hybrid engines to power the ship both in port
and on the open sea. LNG would be stored onboard and used to generate 100 percent
power at sea – producing another industry-first innovation for Carnival Corporation
and its brands.
Using LNG to power the ships in port and at sea is expected to
eliminate emissions of soot particles and sulfur oxides.
Carnival said two of the ships would be manufactured at Meyer
Werft’s shipyard in Papenburg, Germany and the other two would be built at its Turku,
Finland location.
“We are honored that Carnival Corp. has entrusted us with the
implementation of this ambitious shipbuilding program, and we look forward to building
these four magnificent ships,” Meyer Werft CEO Bernard Meyer said.
Each of the four next-generation ships would have a total capacity
of 6,600 guests; over 5,000 lower berths; exceed 180,000 gross tons; and incorporate
“an extensive number of guest-friendly features,” according to the cruise company.
Additional information about the ships, including which new ships
will be added to each brand, would be made available at a later date, Carnival said.
“It will be exciting to see our shipbuilding team bring these
new ships to life,” Carnival Corporation CEO Arnold Donald said. “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.”
