Carnival Cruise Line today saw the first steel cut for its newest class of ship and the new livery was revealed for the 180,000-ton XL vessel that will be powered by LNG, and homeport at Port Canaveral.
The steel-cutting ceremony held at the Meyer Turku shipyard in Turku, Finland, and signified the official start of construction of the largest Carnival cruise ship ever constructed, to be delivered in 2020.
A second XL ship will start construction in 2020 and be delivered in 2022 to mark the 50th anniversary of Carnival Cruise Line’s founding.
At the ceremony, the company also a new hull design that “celebrates its legacy as America’s Cruise Line and pays homage to maritime tradition,” the company said.
“This new ship promises to be truly special, from its groundbreaking technology and one-of-a-kind features to its distinctive livery and hull design that is both timeless and forward-thinking while paying tribute to our nearly 50-year history of making wonderful vacation memories for our guests,” said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line.
“We are extremely pleased to work together with Carnival on this large and highly innovative ship. With the first steel cutting, our efforts in designing the hull, features and interior of the ship start to take shape. We are also very proud to build the first-ever LNG powered cruise ship for North American market, making this state-of-the-art green technology a reality,” commented Jan Meyer, CEO of Meyer Turku.
