Fincantieri delivers 1st ship in COVID-19 aftermath

Fincantieri hosted a delivery ceremony on Wednesday at Monfalcone shipyard for Enchanted Princess, the 100th cruise ship to be delivered by the Italian shipbuilder in the last 30 years.

Princess Cruises, a Carnival brand, welcomed the ship into its fleet in a virtually streamed ceremony.

“Enchanted Princess is a special ship: she is, indeed, the first cruise ship we delivered after COVID-19 outbreak and the 100th ship built by Fincantieri in the last 30 years,” Giuseppe Bono, CEO of Fincantieri, said.

“We believe she demonstrates the best ability to tackle the hardest times with passion and commitment, as well as the historic resilience of our industry.”

The cruise ship features 145,000 gross tons and can accommodate 4,610 passengers and 1,411 crew members.

It is an evolution of its sister ships – Royal Princess, Regal Princess, Majestic Princess, and Sky Princess, all built by Fincantieri.

The upcoming unit of the same class, Discovery Princess, is slated for delivery in 2021.

Enchanted Princess is scheduled to arrive in North America in December 2020, for a season of Caribbean cruises.

Princess Cruises said it was working on enhancing health and safety protocols with input from global health leaders in light of COVID-19 and assessing how they may impact future itineraries. 

Princess Cruises has two more next-generation ships set for delivery from the Monfalcone shipyard in 2023 and 2025.

The dual-fuel LNG powered ships will be the largest cruise ships built in Italy featuring 175,000 gross tons, and capacity to accommodate 5,300 guests respectively.