Cruise Ships News

In the first episode of Engineering the Experience, Royal Caribbean dives into one of the most-asked questions to showcase the engineering and innovation that go into building revolutionary ships designed to deliver unforgettable vacations. From the initial ideation and design to months of construction at the shipyard, the vacation brand's naval experts, architects and more go behind the scenes on how it all unfolds.

ABB has signed a 15-year service agreement with Royal Caribbean Group, a vacation industry giant with a global fleet of 67 ships across its five brands.Covering 33 existing ships, the comprehensive agreement includes preventive maintenance and digital solutions to support and optimize propulsion operations, improve vessel safety, maximize fleet availability, and ensure fast turnaround times for planned Azipod propulsion servicing.Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.“Our collaboration with Royal Caribbean Group spans nearly three decades…

RINA has acquired the entire share capital of Foreship, a Finnish company specializing in naval architecture and marine engineering, from Vaaka Partners and company’s managers.The acquisition marks a further expansion of RINA’s marine engineering consulting offering worldwide, while strengthening its presence in Northern Europe.Foreship, with 2024 revenues of €15.2 million is headquartered in Helsinki and employs over 90 professionals across eight offices globally, including the US, UK and Estonia.

Fincantieri has marked the start of construction of the Oceania Sonata, the new luxury cruise ship for Oceania Cruises, a brand of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings.The new vessel will be the first of the new Sonata class, a next-generation series building upon the highly acclaimed Allura class, with Oceania Vista delivered by Fincantieri in 2023 and its sister ship, Oceania Allura, scheduled for delivery in July 2025.Oceania Sonata is scheduled for delivery in 2027 and will be followed by a sister ship…

Fincantieri and TUI Cruises, a joint venture between TUI AG and Royal Caribbean Cruises, have launched Mein Shiff Flow, a dual-fuel cruise ship newbuild.A sister ship to Mein Schiff Relax, delivered in February 2025, the new unit is scheduled to enter service in mid-2026.With approximately 160,000 gross tons, Mein Schiff Flow is based on a first-in-class project developed by Fincantieri enhancing the modernity and sustainability characteristics that TUI Cruises, a company with…

ASUKA III, said to be the largest Japanese-flagged cruise ship, has completed its first marine LNG bunkering by FueLNG Private at Singapore Cruise Centre.The bunkering milestone also marks Shell LNG's first supply to an LNG-powered cruise ship in the region, according to Singapore Cruise Centre.Asuka III is owned by NYK Cruises, a company of the Japanese shipping group NYK. The 52,200 GT  newbuild is 230 meters long and 29.8 meters wide, with space for 744 passengers.„We look…

Kongsberg Maritime has strengthened its 15-year partnership with Chesapeake Shipbuilding in the United, through the supply of its Aquarius retractable stabilizers that will be installed on the latest newbuild cruise ships for American Cruise Lines (ACL).The Aquarius retractable stabilizers offer high-performance roll damping, compact and lightweight design, and advanced control systems.They are specifically engineered for smaller vessels, and feature a one-piece high-lift fin…

In September 2022, ALMACO signed an agreement with MEYER WERFT to provide the newbuild S721 of Japanese NYK Cruises with ALMACO’s Provision Cooling Plant. The scope of work includes the supply and commissioning of chiller units and air coolers. The vessel will be the second luxury cruise ship of NYK Cruises and serve the Japanese cruise market.The vessel will carry 744 passengers and 470 crew members. It will be 228.86 meters long and 29.8 meters wide with a tonnage of 51,950 GT.

Viking and Fincantieri have announced that the Viking Libra, the world’s first hydrogen-powered cruise ship, capable of operating with zero emissions is scheduled for delivery in 2026.The vessel is already under construction at Fincantieri’s Ancona shipyard, and Viking’s subsequent ocean ship, the Viking Astrea, is also currently under construction and scheduled for delivery in 2027.Both vessels will have a hybrid propulsion system partly powered by hydrogen-fueled fuel cells…

Bureau Veritas Marine & Offshore (BV) has appointed Stefano Colonna as the new Head of Passenger Ships and Yachts for the North American region.With more than 30 years of leadership experience in the passenger ships and yachting industries, Colonna has held prominent roles, including Vice President of Service for North and South America at NAVIM Group, overseeing Quality Assurance and Certifications, Director of Marine Safety Operations at Carnival Cruise Line and Director of Technical Safety Operations at The Walt Disney Company.Specializing in new builds…

Royal Caribbean has launched a video showing the newly amplified Allure of the Seas, which is setting sail in the Mediterranean in April 2025 after a $100 million transformation. New features include the Pesky Parrot tiki bar, resort-style pools and a 10-story dry slide.Pool Days – Resort-style pools are at the center of the action on the reimagined Caribbean pool deck, along with a wide variety of shaded seating and lounging options, such as swim-up lounge chairs and more. For a relaxing adults-only getaway…

Fincantieri has signed an agreement with Carnival Corporation, valued over $2 billion, for the design and construction of two new cruise ships for AIDA Cruises.This marks the first time that Fincantieri will build cruise ships for AIDA Cruises, thus reinforcing its strategic partnership with Carnival Corporation.The units are scheduled for delivery in early 2030 and late 2031. Each will feature approximately 2,100 guest cabins and will be equipped with multi-fuel engines, capable of operating LNG…

Finland's Meyer Turku Group's financial result for 2024 has been published, with the company reporting a turnover of 1.80 billion euros ($2 billion) which marks a growth of 28% compared to the previous year.The net profit for the financial year 2024 was 68.9 million euros ($76 million) 3.8% of the turnover.“We have now seen the anticipated turnaround and today have a healthy order backlog. Reaching this result also supports us in our ongoing negotiations for future financing,” says Lari Niemi…

Underwater fouling control hull coatings were once purely a commercial consideration for ship owners and operators. Now it is also a question of how they can help meet global goals to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. A ship slowed by fouling means higher fuel consumption, which translates directly into higher emissions intensity.PPG offers PPG SIGMAGLIDE® 2390 fouling release hull coating, based on a 100% pure silicone binder system. This biocide-free product helps to reduce emissions by up to 35% compared to traditional antifoulings…

DNV has appointed Robert Galinski as Global Cruise Segment Director, with effect from January 1, 2025.“We are pleased to welcome Robert Galinski back to DNV,” says Trond Hodne, Business Director, DNV Maritime. “His extensive experience and strong industry relationships will be instrumental as we continue to further strengthen our position in the cruise sector. His leadership will play a vital role in advancing our customer-focused strategy and driving innovation in the industry.”Based in Florida…

Fincantieri and TUI AG have signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) for the design and construction of two new cruise ships for the Marella Cruises brand.The value of this agreement, subject to financing and other typical terms and conditions, is considered as very important, which for Fincantieri represents the value of over $2.1 billion.The agreement represents a major step for Marella Cruises, which is venturing into newbuilding for the first time and has chosen Fincantieri as its strategic partner for this transformation.At the same time…

Fincantieri has held a keel laying ceremony for Seven Seas Prestige, the ultra-luxury cruise ship being built for Regent Seven Seas Cruises.The keel laying ceremony took place at Fincantieri’s shipyard in Marghera, in Venice.Seven Seas Prestige is the first of two next-generation ultra-luxury cruise ships for Regent Seven Seas Cruises, owned by Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings.The vessel is scheduled for delivery in 2026.During the event, three specially chosen coins were welded…

The cruise ship AIDAdiva operated by AIDA Cruises has been coated with Nippon Paint Marine’s AQUATERRAS hull coating. The application represents the 16th vessel in the Carnival group to fully be applied with Nippon’s biocide-free coating. In 2022, based on previous experience, Carnival applied AQUATERRAS to AIDAdiva. At that time, AIDAdiva was the third Carnival cruise vessel to be fully coated with AQUATERRAS.Although the ship operated in challenging itineraries in both the Caribbean and in Europe…

Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri has delivered Norwegian Aqua cruise ship to Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL).Norwegian Aqua is the first ship of the expanded Prima Plus Class that Fincantieri is building for NCL.At 156,300 gross tons and a length that spans 1,056 feet, Norwegian Aqua is 10% larger than the first two Prima Class vessels, Norwegian Prima and Norwegian Viva, which also feature the craftmanship of Fincantieri.In addition to the delivery of Norwegian Aqua, the Fincantieri shipyard in Marghera will experience another milestone tomorrow…

American Cruise Lines said that American Legend, the newest small ship in the company’s innovative Project Blue series, was christened in Key West, Florida. The celebration took place while the ship was docked at Mallory Square, just steps from the City’s vibrant town center. American Legend was visiting Key West along one of the company’s popular 8-Day Florida Gulf Coast & Keys cruises, which sail roundtrip from St. Petersburg, Florida. American’s new Florida itineraries are…

TUI Cruises, a joint venture between German TUI Group and Royal Caribbean Cruises, has taken delivery of the first of two liquefied natural gas (LNG) and marine gas oil (MGO) powered cruise ships Fincantieri is building for the shipowner.With approximately 160,000 gross tons, the dual-fuel powered InTUItion-class ship forms the backbone of TUI Cruises’ new fleet.Named Mein Schiff Relax, the ship is able to use LNG and is future-proof with the ability to utilize low-emission fuels such as bio- or e-LNG…

Fincantieri and Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings (NCL) have signed a multi-billion dollar agreement for the construction of four new cruise ships.With a gross tonnage of approximately 226,000 tons, the new units will be the largest ever built for NCL.The ships will be built at the Fincantieri Monfalcone shipyard, with the first unit to be delivered in 2030 and the others to follow in 2032, 2034, and 2036.Fincantieri deemed the contract ‘very important’, which means its value exceeds $2 billion.

Lloyd's Register (LR) has introduced its first class notation for fin stabilizers. With the increasing demand for enhanced passenger experiences on modern cruise ships, fin stabilizers have become integral to providing a smooth and enjoyable journey.Located under the waterline on the side of a ship's hull, fin stabilizers provide a roll damping effect, counteracting the ship's natural roll and ensuring a stable voyage.The new class notation covers the strength, machinery and control aspects of fin stabilizers, including their integration into the ship's hull.