Carnival Cruise Line has announced that the first steel was cut for the line’s newest class of ship. The new livery was also revealed for the 180,000-ton XL vessel that will be the first-ever ship operating in North America to use liquefied natural gas (LNG).
The traditional steel-cutting ceremony held at the Meyer Turku shipyard in Turku, Finland, 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 revealed a new red, white and blue hull design. Developed by New York-based Bluarch Architecture, the design builds upon the company’s color scheme and is highlighted by a navy-blue hull inspired by officers’ uniforms along with red and white accents running the entire length of the 1,130-foot-long ship.
Following the steel-cutting ceremony, construction began on the 5,200-plus lower berth ship which will offer a variety of new innovations and will be the first North American-based cruise ship to be powered by LNG, part of Carnival Corporation’s “green cruising” design platform.
As previously announced, the yet-to-be-named ship will operate from Port Canaveral, FL, beginning in 2020. The ship’s name is scheduled to be revealed in early December. Details on the ship’s inaugural season are planned to be announced in January, with information on the vessel’s culinary, beverage and entertainment options to be revealed later in 2019.
For more information, visit www.carnival.com.
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