Carnival Corp. has inked a deal with the Meyer Werft
shipyard for four megaships, each with a maximum capacity of 6,600 passengers, that
will be the first vessels in the industry to be powered by liquefied natural
gas (LNG).
The company said that two of the ships will sail for German
line Aida Cruises and did not say which brands would get the other two.
The multibillion-dollar deal is part of the memoranda of
agreement Carnival Corp. signed with Meyer Werft and Fincantieri to order nine
ships to be delivered between 2019 and 2022.
The ships’ hybrid engines will burn 100% LNG at sea,
Carnival Corp. said, and LNG also will be used to power the ship in port. The use of
LNG will eliminate emissions of soot particles and sulfur oxides, Carnival
Corp. said. LNG is considered to be the most environmentally friendly fossil
fuel.
Each of the ships will be 180,000 gross tons and have more
than 5,000 lower berths. In comparison, Royal Caribbean’s Oasis-class ships are
225,282 gross tons and have a lower-berth capacity of 5,300 passengers; the ships carry 6,360 passengers at maximum capacity.
Carnival Corp. said
that an “innovative design” will make efficient use of the ships' spaces.
Carnival Corp. CEO Arnold Donald said the four-ship contract
was consistent with the company's strategy to replace ships with less efficient
capacity with newer, larger and more fuel-efficient vessels.
"We are looking forward to executing on the next step
in our fleet enhancement plan," said Donald. "At a cost per berth in
line with our existing orderbook, these new ships will enhance the return
profile of our fleet. These are exceptionally efficient ships with incredible
cabins and public spaces featuring a design inspired by Micky Arison and
Michael Thamm and developed by our newbuild teams."
Arison is chairman of the board of directors for Carnival
Corp. and Thamm is CEO of the Costa Group, which includes Aida Cruises and
Costa Cruises.
This report was updated June 15 at 11:17 a.m. Eastern.