NCLH firms up order for ‘largest-ever’ cruise ships at Fincantieri

Cruise company Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings (NCLH) has confirmed an order for four new cruise ships with sustainability features to be constructed by Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri.

As disclosed, the letter of intent (LoI) signed in April 2024 has now been transformed into a firm order for the construction of four new cruise ships which will be “the largest ever” built for NCLH.

The ships with a gross tonnage of approximately 226,000 tons will be delivered in 2030, 2023, 2034, and 2036.

According to Fincantieri, the newbuilds will be designed according to the highest technology standards while including sustainability features.

While the financial terms and details were not disclosed, it is understood that Fincantieri considers this contract very important, meaning it represents a value exceeding €2 billion.

The Italian shipyard has already built two ships for NCLH, Norwegian Prima and Norwegian Viva.

The first unit of the Prima Plus class for the Norwegian cruise line will be delivered in the coming months, with three other units in various design and construction stages.

Being part of NCLH’s sustainability efforts, the next-generation ship designs are expected to advance the company’s journey toward decarbonization.

The company is also exploring new solutions to operate on green fuels. Since 2022, it has completed tests of biofuel blends on multiple ships, in which a blend of approximately 30% biofuel and 70% marine gas oil has been used. 

Most recently, NCLH’s ship Norwegian Dawn received a B30 sustainable biofuel blend from the Dutch provider GoodFuels while docked at the IJmuiden Cruise Terminal in the Netherlands.

During the summer of 2024, the cruise line’s ships Norwegian Escape, Seven Seas Voyager, and Oceania Riviera were also bunkered with biofuel at the Port of Barcelona