Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri held a keel laying ceremony of the new unit for Miami-based Carnival Cruise Line, brand of Carnival Corporation, at its Marghera shipyard today.
According to the shipbuilder, the new vessel is scheduled to hit the water in 2018.
Featuring a weight of 133,500 gross tons, the new cruise ship will be able to carry almost 6,500 guests and crew.
Fincantieri said that the ship will be realized on the basis of the project of the twin vessel Carnival Vista, which is expected to join its owner by the end of April from Monfalcone shipyard, Italy.
The keel laying ceremony comes on the back of Carnival’s latest deal signed with Fincatieri last week, under which the shipbuilder will construct five new cruise ships for three different Carnival brands.
The new vessels, scheduled for delivery in 2019 and 2020, will be built for Costa Asia, Princess Cruises and P&O Cruises Australia.
Including the five new ship orders with Fincantieri, Carnival Corporation has a total of 16 new ships scheduled to be delivered between 2016 and 2020.