A look at the top shipbuilding and fleet stories of 2019:
1. Star Breeze Lengthening Underway in Palermo for Windstar
Windstar cut its Star Breeze in half at Fincantieri, the first of three ships set to be lengthened in a $250 million initiative at Palermo.
2. Royal Caribbean Orders Sixth Oasis-Class Vessel
Royal Caribbean Cruises announced that it entered into an agreement with French shipbuilder Chantiers de l’Atlantique to order a sixth Oasis-class ship for delivery in the fall of 2023, according to a press release.
3. Steel Cut for Carnival’s First China-Built Ship
Steel was cut for Carnival Corporation’s first-China built ship, now under construction at Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding Co Ltd facility, and due for delivery in the second half of 2023.
4. Genting to Launch New Universal Ship Class for Customers
Genting Hong Kong and its shipyard group, MV Werften, announced a new Universal Class of cruise ships targeted at customers outside of Genting’s cruise brand portfolio of Dream, Crystal and Star.
5. Steel Cut for 5,400-Guest MSC Europa; Fuel Cell Confirmed
MSC Cruises’ first 204,000-ton, 5,400-guest World Class vessel will carry the name MSC Europa, as Chantiers de l’Atlantique cut steel on the newbuild in a ceremony in France. The ship will debut in 2022 and is the first of four in the series to be fueled by LNG. In addition, the MSC and Chantiers de l’Atlantique confirmed innovative fuel cell technology for the newbuild via a new memorandum of understanding.
6. Oceania Orders Pair of Newbuilds
Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings announced an order for the next generation of ships for Oceania Cruises. The two Allura-Class ships mark the next phase of the line’s OceaniaNEXT initiative and will be designed and built by Fincantieri S.p.A. for delivery in 2022 and 2025, the company announced.
7. Grandeur of the Seas to Transfer to Pullmantur
The Grandeur of the Seas will move from Royal Caribbean International to the Pullmantur brand in early 2021. The 1996-built ship will increase Pullmantur’s capacity by 1,950 berths, representing a 32.5 percent increase for the Spanish brand, according to Cruise Industry News data. Royal Caribbean is a stakeholder in Pullmantur.
8. Pacific Dawn and Pacific Aria Bought by CMV
Cruise & Maritime Voyages purchased the Pacific Dawn and Pacific Aria from Carnival Corporation. A sales price for the 1994-built Pacific Aria, with capacity for 1,258 guests, and the 1991-built Pacific Dawn, with capacity for 2,020 guests, was not announced. The ships will join the Pacific Eden, the Aria’s sister, at CMV, along with other ex-Carnival Corp. vessels the Columbus and the Magellan.
9. Five Ships to Leave Costa Fleet by May 2021
Working to reduce capacity growth in Southern Europe, five ships will leave the Costa Cruises fleet by May 2021, according to Arnold Donald, CEO of Carnival Corporation, speaking on the company’s third quarter earnings call on Thursday, Sept. 26.
10. MSC to Stretch Magnifica, Add 215 New Staterooms
The MSC Magnifica will be stretched by 23 meters, adding 215 new cabins ahead of her 2021 summer season from Southampton. The stretch project is valued at $140 million, according to company officials; the 215 new rooms will include 92 balcony cabins.
