RINA nets deal for Carnival Cruise Line’s LNG-powered ships

Classification society RINA has been awarded a contract for the design approval and construction supervision of the fourth and fifth Excel-class cruise ships for US-based Carnival Cruise Line, a subsidiary of Carnival Corporation.

The ships will be built on the same platform as their sisters, with the 180,000-ton ship powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG) and designed to carry over 6,400 guests and 1,800 crew.

To remind, Carnival Cruise Line ordered the fifth Excel-class cruise ship in March this year. The order follows the one placed in February this year for one more LNG-fueled Excel-class cruise ship.

The vessels will be built at Meyer Werft shipyard with delivery set, respectively, for 2027 and 2028.

“We will leverage on the highly specialized competence and knowledge gained through the supervision of all LNG-powered cruise ships construction of Carnival’s Excel-Class,” RINA commented.

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.

Meanwhile, RINA recently teamed up with Italian shipbuilding major Fincantieri and energy major Eni to develop joint initiatives in the field of maritime transport decarbonization. The partners will conduct a comprehensive analysis and evaluation of the most sustainable alternatives to support the maritime decarbonization pathway. Specifically, this will be based on the development of complementary solutions to fuels already available for other hard-to-abate sectors.