New ship deliveries in 2019 will make it the biggest year in the history of the cruise industry for ship and berth introductions.

Twenty-four ocean-going ships are to debut this year, marking a new record, according to the 2019 Cruise Industry News Annual Report.

The class of 2019 represents just under $10 billion in new ships, with an average size of 67,694 tons and passenger capacity of 1,770.

Those 24 ships also make up 42,488 new berths, easily eclipsing 2018’s record of approximately 34,000 new berths.

Prior to 2018, the record year for berth introductions was 2010, when 28,076 berths were introduced. In terms of vessel introductions, the previous record prior to 2018 was for 17 new vessels in 2001.

The biggest vessel to enter service this year will be the Costa Smeralda with capacity for 5,224 guests.

The Smeralda will enter service in the Western Mediterranean in the fall and will be powered by LNG. Being built at Meyer Turku in Finland, the Smeralda is part of Carnival’s next generation XL class of vessels.

MSC’s Grandiosa, a Meraviglia-plus class ship, is also large, and will debut in November with capacity for just under 5,000 guests.

Other notable introductions include the Carnival Panorama, which will be positioned on the West Coast and sailing to the Mexican Riviera.

In addition is the new 4,200 guest Norwegian Encore, which debuts in Miami in the fourth quarter.

Twelve of the 24 ships on order are expedition newbuilds, and 14 of the 24 new vessels are under 1,000 guests. 

Hurtigruten’s 530-guest Roald Amundsen will debut the industry’s first hybrid platform, with the ability to run on battery power. 

Of the shipyards, Fincantieri will have the biggest year, with four ships being delivered, in addition to five more from its subsidiary, VARD.

Meyer Werft will deliver a trio of newbuilds, while sister yard Meyer-Turku will deliver two ships.

In addition is the American Harmony, a next generation riverboat from American Cruise Lines with capacity for 195 guests.