Carnival Cruise Line orders fifth LNG-powered Excel-class cruise ship

German shipbuilder Meyer Werft has received an order to build another liquified natural gas (LNG)-fueled cruise ship for US-based Carnival Cruise Line, a subsidiary of Carnival Corporation.

The order follows the one placed in February this year for one more LNG-fueled Excel-class cruise ship.

Meyer Werft and Meyer Turku have built nine cruise ships with LNG propulsion for four cruise lines in Carnival Corporation’s portfolio on a joint technical platform.

The two new ships will also be built on this platform and, with a length of around 344 meters and a size of approximately 180,000 GT, will offer space for more than 6,400 guests.

The cruise company recently said it was on track to achieve an overall 18% reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emission intensity on a lower berth capacity basis in 2024 compared to 2019.

“The Excel Class from MEYER WERFT and MEYER TURKU has been contributing to Carnival Corporation’s success for several years now. We look forward to continuing this success story together,” said Bernd Eikens, CEO of the MEYER Group.

“Carnival’s Excel-class fleet will soon consist of a quintet of these highly popular ships that offer outstanding guest amenities and tremendous operational efficiencies,” said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line. 

This second order in just a few weeks demonstrates the turnaround in the cruise market, which has reached and in some cases exceeded the record level of 2019, according to Meyer Werft.

“We can see that the MEYER Group’s ships are operating very successfully and that we can therefore continue this ship platform,” explained Thomas Weigend, Chief Sales Officer of the MEYER Group.

Meyer Werft’s order book includes six cruise ships, one research vessel and the steel construction for four offshore converter platforms. The shipbuilder recently laid the keel for Disney Cruise Line’s third LNG-fueled cruise ship.