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Gras News

26 Mar 2024

Carnival Orders Excel-class Cruise Ship

Carnival Jubilee (File photo: Meyer We3rft)

Fresh on the heels of its first newbuild order in five years, the world's largest cruise company has placed an order for an additional vessel.U.S.-based Carnival Corporation on Tuesday announced it has signed an agreement with German shipbuilder Meyer Werft to build an Excel-class cruise ship for its Carnival Cruise Line brand for expected delivery in 2028.The ship will be the 11th Excel-class ship for the corporation's fleet across four of its brands, and the fifth to be sailed by Carnival Cruise Line.

04 Dec 2023

Meyer Werft Delivers Cruise Ship Carnival Jubilee

(Photo: Meyer Werft)

German shipbuilder Meyer Werft announced it has delivered Carnival Jubilee, the latest cruise ship for Carnival Cruise Line.The 183,200 GT ship is 345.4 meters long, 42 meters wide and can accommodate 5,374 passengers in 2,626 passenger cabins, plus 1,551 crew. It has 20 decks.The RINA-classed Carnival Jubilee has a wide range of entertainment options and numerous restaurants. The highlight on the upper deck is the "Ultimate Playground" with a waterpark including large slides and the "BOLT" roller coaster.The newbuild is the first ship for Carnival Cruise Line to be built in Papenburg.

24 Jul 2023

Meyer Werft Floats Out Carnival Jubilee

(Photo: Meyer Werft)

German shipbuilder Meyer Werft has floated out its latest newbuild, a 183,200 GT cruise ship for Carnival Cruise Line.Carnival Jubilee left the yard's covered building dock on Friday and was moored at a pier in the shipyard harbor for outfitting. On Saturday, the ship briefly cast off from the pier for its bow thrusters and stabilizers could be tested.The RINA-classed ship is 344.5 meters long, with capacity for 5,228 passengers in 2,626 passenger cabins, plus 1,551 crew. It has 20 decks and an onboard roller coaster.Originally ordered for Carnival Corp.

26 Jun 2023

Why the Titanic Disaster Continues to Enthrall

© nyiragongo / Adobe Stock

The question on many minds this week is why did some of the world’s richest men risk death to venture to the bottom of the sea in a cold and cramped “experimental” submersible for a chance to glimpse the wreck of the Titanic?The “unsinkable” ship that sunk on its maiden voyage across the Atlantic in 1912 after colliding with an iceberg is arguably the world’s most well-known boat. The Titanic is recognisable to more of the world’s population than, say, the Niña, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria (Christopher Colombus’s fleet that launched the Spanish conquest of the Americas)…

02 Nov 2022

Meyer Turku Delivers Cruise Ship Carnival Celebration

(Photo: Meyer Turku)

Finnish shipbuilder Meyer Turku on Wednesday delivered the liquefied natural gas (LNG) fueled cruise ship Carnival Celebration to Carnival Cruise Line.Tim Meyer, CEO of Meyer Turku, describes this ship's handover as special in many ways: "First of all, the ship is dedicated to the 50 years of Carnival Cruise Line. Second, Carnival Celebration will begin service immediately after the handover, which tells us that the demand for cruises, and therefore for cruise ships, is truly…

18 Mar 2022

Meyer Werft Cuts First Steel for Carnival Jubilee

(Photo: Meyer Werft)

German shipbuilder Meyer Werft said it cut first steel on Friday for Carnival Jubilee, a new 183,200 GT cruise ship set to debut for Carnival Cruise Line in 2023.Originally ordered for Carnival Corp. brand AIDA Cruises, the newbuild was transferred to sister line Carnival Cruise Line in 2021. It marks the first time a ship design has been transferred from Finnish shipyard Meyer Turku to Meyer Werft.Carnival Jubilee, like its fellow Excel Class cruise ships Mardi Gras delivered in 2020 and Carnival Celebration due to be handed over later this year…

11 Feb 2022

Shipbuilding; Carnival Celebration floated out at Meyer Turku in Finland

Photo courtesy Carnival/Meyer Turku Shipyard

The 185,000-gt cruis ships Carnival Celebration was floated out to the outfitting keel at Meyer Turku shipyard in Finland, with the LNG-powered ship marking the culmination of Carnival Cruise Lines 50th birthday. The float-out started on Friday morning local time with the opening of the building dock valves and will culminate over the weekend. “The Float out marks the beginning of a very intensive phase in the ships construction, as the inside features and venues start taking form.

23 Jun 2021

Carnival to Add Two More Cruise Ships by 2023

(Image: Carnival Cruise Line)

Carnival Cruise Line announced plans today to grow its fleet by two additional ships by 2023, taking the delivery position of an Excel-class ship that had previously been assigned to sister line AIDA Cruises that will arrive in late 2023, as well as taking ownership of Costa Magica from another of its European sister lines, with that ship going through a dry dock, renaming and Carnival-branded conversion and joining the fleet by mid-2022.These two ships are in addition to the new capacity growth represented by Mardi Gras…

01 Jun 2021

Shipbuilding: After Two 'Difficult' Years, Meyer Turku Eyes a Positive Future

Photo courtesy Meyer Turku

Finnish shipbuilder Meyer Turku announced its financial figures for 2020, noting that while the group has had two difficult years, it is slowly moving toward a more positive path.Meyer Turku, part of the German-based Meyer Group, primarily builds cruise ships and large capacity ferries, two sectors where newbuild orders have been slowed by the COVID-19 pandemic. But with many parts of the world now reopening to passenger ships, Meyer Turku is targeting a rebound. “Last year has been in several aspects an extraordinary difficult year…

15 Jan 2021

Meyer Turku Cuts Steel for Carnival's Next Mega Cruise Ship

The Carnival Celebration steel cutting ceremony was attended by Carnival’s Senior Vice President of New Builds Ben Clement and Meyer Turku’s CEO Tim Meyer. (Photo: Carnival Cruise Line)

Finnish shipbuilder Meyer Turku held a steel cutting ceremony for Carnival Cruise Line's next Excel-Class ship, the 180,000-gross-ton Carnival Celebration, slated to debut from PortMiami in 2022.The newbuild is a sister ship the 5,200-passenger Mardis Gras—the largest vessel in the Carnival fleet—delivered in December 2020. Like Mardi Gras, Carnival Celebration will run on liquefied natural gas (LNG) and include BOLT, the first roller coaster at sea, along with unique design features created specifically for this vessel, and new signature venues that will be specific to this ship.

22 Dec 2020

Carnival's New Cruise Ship Bunkers LNG in Rotterdam

(Photo: Carnival Cruise Line)

Carnival Cruise Line’s new cruise ship Mardi Gras made its first port call Tuesday in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, where the ship will refuel its liquefied natural gas (LNG) propulsion system for the first time after delivery.Mardi Gras, set to begin sailing from Port Canaveral, Fla., next year, will be the first cruise ship in the Americas to be powered by LNG.In its liquefied state, LNG is odorless, colorless, more environmentally friendly and less expensive than other fuels. LNG is considered the marine industry’s most advanced fuel technology.

18 Dec 2020

Cruise Ship Mardi Gras Delivered to Carnival

Photo: Meyer Turku/Carnival Cruise Lines

As the battered cruise industry looks to turn the clock on 2020 and return to business as 'normal' in 2021, in Finland today there returned a semblance of 'normal' with the delivery of the 180,000 ton Mardi Gras from the Meyer Turku shipyard, a mammoth, modern liquefied natural gas (LNG) fueled cruise ship for Carnival Cruise Line.The 180,000-gross-ton, 5,200-passenger cruise ship—the largest in the Carnival fleet—was previously scheduled to be delivered in October 2020, but the…

18 Nov 2020

Carnival Cancels Cruises in Early 2021

© Eric BVD / Adobe Stock

Carnival Cruise Line has canceled additional voyages in the early months of 2021 as it works to meet requirements to resume operations amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.Having already suspended U.S. cruises for the remainder of this year, the cruise industry giant said Wednesday it has canceled all voyages from U.S. homeports through January 31, as well as sailings from Baltimore, Charleston, Jacksonville, Long Beach, Mobile, New Orleans and San Diego through February 28, and…

07 Jul 2020

Carnival: Delivery of Mardi Gras Delayed due to COVID-19

(Photo Meyer Turku)

Carnival Cruise Line has said that the delivery of its new ship Mardi Gras, the first LNG-powered cruise ship to operate in the Western Hemisphere, will be delayed due to COVID-19. The same goes for Carnival's Carnival Radiance ship. The company has also been forced to cancel several itineraries between November 2020 and May 2021."Carnival Cruise Line will be notifying guests and travel agents on Tuesday of revisions to the delivery of its newest ship, Mardi Gras, as well as the…

03 Feb 2020

Carnival's Mardi Gras Flagged in Panama

Photo courtesy of Panama Maritime Authority

Carnival bought their first cruise ship Mardi Gras in the 1970’s, nearly 50 years ago, and registered her under the Panama flag, now the new Mardi Gras will keep the tradition of flying the Panama flag.In a ceremony at the Meyer Turku shipyard, The Mardi Gras, left the dry dock to be positioned in the water en-route to her new location to finalize its interior and exterior outfitting.With a capacity for 5,282 passengers, Mardi Gras marks a milestone for both Carnival and the Panama Registry.

24 Jan 2020

Carnival Mardi Gras Floated Out

(Photo: Meyer Turku)

Carnival Cruise Line's next flagship was floated out at Meyer Turku Shipyard in Finland, the builder announced on Friday.The 180,000-gross-ton, 5,200-passenger cruise ship Mardi Gras will be the largest in the Carnival fleet upon delivery in October 2020.Ben Clement, Carnival’s senior vice president of newbuilds, says the the “one-of-a-kind” ship is a “game-changer”.Meyer Turku CEO, Jan Meyer, agrees. “I believe Mardi Gras will be a truly special ship,” Meyer says. “She will be…

03 Jan 2020

Carnival Delays Launch of Mardi Gras Ship

Florida-headquartered international cruise line Carnival Cruise Line announced that the debut of its newest ship, Mardi Gras, will be pushed back until Nov. 14, 2020 after the Meyer Turku shipyard in Finland informed the cruise line “that the delivery will be delayed.”With this new schedule, Carnival will now take delivery of the ship in late October and its first revenue sailing will depart from Port Canaveral on Nov. 14, 2020. Consequently, the first eight sailings that were scheduled starting Aug. 31 have been cancelled, including European, transatlantic and New York-based itineraries and four Port Canaveral itineraries.Carnival said that the guest notification process began promptly after the notice by Meyer Turku so that impacted guests could begin to make alternative vacation plans.

25 Sep 2019

Carnival to Build 2 New Ports in Bahamas

British-American cruise operator Carnival Corporation and two of its cruise line brands have signed an agreement with the government of The Bahamas to build two major port developments.The world's largest travel leisure company, with a combined fleet of over 100 vessels across 10 cruise line brands, said that it will develop a new cruise port destination primarily for Carnival Cruise Line on Grand Bahama, and construction of a new addition, including a pier, on the Bahamian island of Little San Salvador, home to Holland America Line's Half Moon Cay port.The Grand Bahama project will represent an investment of over $100 million, and the development on Little San Salvador will be an estimated $80 million investment over time…

23 Sep 2019

Carnival to Expand Terminal F at PortMiami

Carnival Cruise Line expressed appreciation today to the Miami-Dade County Commission for approving a proposal for a complete renovation and major expansion of Cruise Terminal F at PortMiami that will be capable of supporting the operations of Carnival's new Excel class ship – clearing the way for the yet-to-be-named sister ship of Mardi Gras to be homeported in Miami when it is delivered in 2022."With today's approval, we will move quickly on a plan to remodel and expand Terminal F so that it will accommodate the most innovative class of ship to join our fleet," said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line. "Over the last several months…

18 Jun 2019

Cruise Shipping: Work starts on Carnival Mardi Gras

Photo courtesy of Carnival Cruise Line

The hull assembly phase of the 180,000-gt Carnival Mardi Gras was celebrated in Finland with a traditional coin ceremony at Meyer Turku shipyard. In the case of Carnival Mardi Gras, the assembly of the ship hull had already began few weeks before by the arrival of floating engine room unit from another Meyer shipyard, Neptun Werft, in Rostock, Germany.Mardi Gras is the second LNG powered cruise ship being built at Meyer Turku, and this ship will benefit from some of the investments of Meyer Turku’s $224 million  investment program.

04 Apr 2019

Shipbuilding: Meyer Turku Growth Continues

Photo: Meyer Turku Group

Meyer Turku Group reported a turnover of €969.7 million for 2018, up from €808.2 million the year prior. The Finnish shipbuilder, which recorded €29 million in profits for 2018, said its financial figures indicate a good, steady company growth.“We are on a good path to meet the goals we have set,” said Meyer Turku CEO, Jan Meyer. “We need to, however, double our production in the next four years to meet the demands in our order book.”In 2018 Meyer Turku delivered one ship, New Mein Schiff 1, to German TUI Cruises, and New Mein Schiff 2 was handed over to the same owner in January 2019.

08 May 2018

Tug Smashes Wharf in New Orleans

(Photo courtesy NOFD)

The wharf at New Orleans’ Mardi Gras World was heavily damage as result of a tug allision on Monday.No injuries, pollution or effects to vessel traffic in the area have been reported.The U.S. Coast Guard said it received a report at approximately 6:50 p.m. that the uninspected towing vessel Steve Richoux allided with the wharf. Local media reported the vessel was pushing four barges at the time of the allision.The U.S. Coast Guard is working with local agencies to respond to the incident.Officials are investigating the cause of the alision.

17 Jan 2019

Port Canaveral Moves Ahead with Cruise Terminal 3

Florida's Canaveral Port Authority has awarded a $108.5m contract to Ivey’s Construction for building its new Cruise Terminal 3 project.The contract agreement has been approved by the Canaveral Port Authority Board of Commissioners.Ivey’s was the low bidder to build a two-story, 188,000-square-foot terminal as part of the Port’s largest single construction project in its 65-year history – a $163 million complex that will become the homeport for Carnival Cruise Line’s biggest and largest cruise ship, the Mardi Gras, when finished in May 2020.“We're creating a world-class cruise terminal, and with these contract awards, the project is mobilizing and moving ahead,” stated Port CEO Captain John Murray.