Fincantieri is to build four more ships for Viking

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Viking Venus cruising down the River Mersey into Liverpool Photo credit Spacejunkie2 (Flickr)

Fincantieri is to build four more ships for Viking after the companies put into effect contracts for the third and fourth ships and signed new contracts for a fifth and sixth, all of which were additional options in an initial agreement signed in March 2018.

The design of the batch of six ocean vessels was developed by Fincantieri in partnership with Viking, upgrading the design of the cruise line’s previous 10 vessels with new safety and navigation systems. The ships are also designed to be able to make use of hydrogen fuel cells once they are available.

The total value of the agreements is around €1.7 billion ($1.72 billion). Deliveries are scheduled in 2026 and 2027, followed by a further two ships in 2028.

Costa Cruises May Be Getting Further Fleet Changes

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Carnival Corporation has been making strategic changes to its Italian brand, Costa Cruises, as a result of the pandemic and now more fleet moves may be coming.

In Carnival’s third-quarter earnings release, the company said it was evaluating further moves for Costa.

“Given Costa Cruises’ significant presence in Asia, particularly China, which remains closed to cruising, the brand continues to evaluate deployment options and fleet optimization alternatives beyond the previously announced transfers of Costa Luminosa to Carnival Cruise Line as well as Costa Venezia and Costa Firenze to the COSTA by CARNIVAL concept,” the company said.

The Costa Luminosa recently transferred to Carnival Cruise Line, while the Venezia will move to the Costa by Carnival concept and sail from New York in 2023, followed by the Firenze moving to Costa by Carnival to sail from the U.S. West Coast in 2024.

The Costa Magica remains out of service, as does the Costa Serena, which had been positioned in Asia year-round.

Two other Costa ships, the Atlantica and Costa Mediterranea transferred prior to the pandemic to Carnival’s joint venture with China State Shipbuilding Corporation and remain out of service with Costa branding. 

MAN Signs Deal with Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings for Methanol Power

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MAN Energy Solutions has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, according to a press release.

The MoU relates to a project to retrofit a medium-speed MAN 48/60 engine to make it capable of dual-fuel diesel/methanol operation.

The MoU provides for a multi-stage project with the third and final stage involving the completion of field testing and engine handover to NCLH for commercial operation, the company said.

MAN 48/60 engine being transported.

Bernd Siebert – Head of Retrofit & Upgrades at MAN PrimeServ – said: “At MAN Energy Solutions, we understand the need to form alliances on the road to decarbonisation. NCLH is a long-time partner with whom we have successfully cooperated on projects in the past and, in the context of this important venture, is the first cruise company that we have chosen to work with.”

He continued: “As a fuel, methanol is quickly becoming an option within the market. It is a clean, efficient and safe future fuel that offers a path to decarbonisation through significant greenhouse-gas reductions, and is net-zero when produced from renewable energy sources. This memorandum underlines our mutual commitment to reducing shipping’s environmental footprint and has the potential to show the way to net-zero for – not just the cruise segment – but the maritime transport industry as a whole.”