German shipyard Meyer Werft and Carnival Corporation of the USA have reached an agreement to build another modern cruise ship for Carnival Cruise Line for delivery in 2028.
This follows a similar order placed in February 2024. The orders are subject to financing.
Bernd Eikens, CEO Meyer Group said: “The Excel Class from Meyer Werft and Meyer Turku has been contributing to Carnival Corporation’s success for several years now. We look forward to continuing this success story together. Since 2018 Meyer Werft and Meyer Turku have built nine cruise ships with LNG propulsion for four cruise lines in Carnival Corporation’s portfolio on a joint technical platform. The two new ships… will also be built on this platform and, with a length of around 344m and a size of approximately 180,000gt, will offer space for more than 6,400 guests.”
Carnival Cruise Line President Christine Duffy added: “Carnival’s Excel-class fleet will soon consist of a quintet of these highly popular ships that offer outstanding guest amenities and tremendous operational efficiencies. Since the introduction of Mardi Gras in 2021 and the subsequent expansion with Carnival Celebration in 2022 and Carnival Jubilee in 2023, these Excel-class ships have generated excitement, demand and high guest satisfaction.”
This second major order in a few weeks demonstrates the turnaround in the cruise market, which has reached and in some cases exceeded the record level of 2019.
Thomas Weigend, Chief Sales Officer Meyer Group said: “We can see that the Meyer Group’s ships are operating very successfully and that we can therefore continue this ship platform.”
Meyer Werft’s order book now includes six cruise ships, one research vessel and the steel construction for four offshore converter platforms.
Image: ‘Carnival Jubilee’ cruise ship (source: Meyer Werft)
