Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (RCCL) exercised its option to build a second Sunshine-class cruise ship for its Royal Caribbean International brand. The ship will be delivered in spring 2015.
German shipbuilder Meyer Werft will construct the vessel on substantially the same terms as the first Sunshine-class ship, which will enter service in 2014.
"This confirms our continued confidence in the success of this new generation of ships and our strong conviction about the Royal Caribbean International brand," RCCL Chairman Richard Fain said in a statement.
The company last February had signed a letter of intent with Meyer Werft to build the first Sunshine-class ship, a 158,000-gross ton, 4,100-passenger vessel.
The newbuild was code-named "Project Sunshine." RCCL has not yet released any design information about the newbuilds, and neither ship has been named.
The ships will be close to the same size as the brand’s 160,000-ton, 3,600-passenger Freedom-class vessels and much smaller than its most recent newbuilds, the 5,400-passenger Oasis-class ships.
STX Finland built the Oasis of the Seas and the Allure of the Seas.
Meyer Werft constructed Celebrity Cruises’ Solstice-class ships, including the fifth and final one, Celebrity Reflection, due to enter service in October. Celebrity is also an RCCL brand.
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