The three LNG-powered ships will be built by Fincantieri and will create a new ship class for Carnival Cruise Line when they are delivered in summers 2029, 2031 and 2033.

At 230,000 gross tonnes and with more than 3,000 staterooms, they will be the largest the Italian shipbuilder has ever built, and the biggest ever built in Italy. They grow Carnival’s new-build pipeline through 2033 to six vessels.

“For this next generation ship, we are focused on creating innovative guest experiences that will take Carnival Cruise Line into the future," said Carnival Cruise Line president Christine Duffy.

Carnival Corp chief executive said Josh Weinstein added: “We are doubling down on the growth of Carnival Cruise Line... to keep up with the incredibly strong demand we continue to see."

Weinstein added this order will take the company’s overall measured capacity growth between 2025 and 2033 to an average of approximately 1.5% per year. 

"This gives us the headroom to strategically provide new capacity to the brands in our portfolio like Carnival Cruise Line, which provide outsized returns while continuing to execute against our responsible capital strategy, using our strong free cash flow over the next several years to improve our balance sheet, significantly reduce our debt, and continue to transfer value from debt holders to shareholders," he said.

In 2033, Carnival Corporation will have a total of 16 LNG-powered ships – including eight Carnival Cruise Line ships – making up almost 30% of Carnival Corporation’s global capacity and delivering immediate greenhouse gas emission reductions. 

The new ships will also feature improved energy efficiency, waste management and emission reduction technologies to further reduce the company’s environmental footprint.