At press time, Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) was set to reach a final decision on whether to extend its charter of the 25,000-ton, 950-passenger Leeward and 20,000-ton, 800-passenger Norwegian Dynasty beyond fall 1999. The two ships, owned by Neptune Maritime OY (formerly SILJA), comprised roughly 20 percent of NCL’s overall capacity during 1998, but their loss in late 1999 – if NCL opts out of the deal – will be counterbalanced by the launch of the 76,000-ton, 2,000-passenger Norwegian Sky in summer 1999.
