MIAMI — Carnival Cruise Line is adding some major horsepower to its fleet with the announcement that it will take delivery of two new 180,000 gross-registered-tonne cruise ships in 2020 and 2022. These ships will be the largest in the company’s fleet, and will both be powered by Liquefied Natural Gas under Carnival Corp.’s exclusive ‘green cruising’ design, marking the first time an LNG-powered cruise ship is based in North America.
“This new ship order signifies an extraordinarily exciting future for Carnival Cruise Line and the opportunities that lie ahead to introduce a variety of magnificent new features and innovations to further enhance our outstanding guest experience,” said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line. “We are also 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.”
Design details and itineraries will be announced at a later time.
Carnival Corporation has also announced another LNG-powered ship for its P&O Cruises UK line, which will be delivered in 2020. In total, the company now has agreements in place to build seven LNG-powered cruise ships across four of its 10 global cruise brands in coming years. It was previously announced that the first of these ships is expected to be in service for AIDA Cruises and Costa Cruises in 2019.
These new vessels will be part of the first generation of cruise ships to be fully powered by LNG, which is an industry first and an environmental breakthrough that will produce the most efficient ships in the company’s history. Pioneering a new era in the use of alternative fuels that reduce air emissions, these new ships will use LNG to generate 100% of the ship’s power both in port and on the open sea – an innovation that will significantly reduce exhaust emissions to help protect the environment and support the company’s aggressive sustainability goals.
