The next generation of cruise ships moves from concept to construction today, as the first piece of steel is cut at the STX France shipyard for Celebrity Cruises’ newest ship Celebrity Edge.
The cruise line, a brand subsidiary of Miami-based cruise company Royal Caribbean Cruises, said that the Celebrity Edge is expected to join the company’s fleet in fall 2018.
Its Edge Class sister ship, to be named Celebrity Beyond, is scheduled for delivery in spring 2020, and the third and fourth Edge Class ships would be delivered in fall 2021 and fall 2022, respectively.
“The new ships will be on the cutting edge of innovation and the leading edge of design, so the ship names are spot on and offer a sense of how Celebrity Cruises is looking into the future,” Richard D. Fain, Chairman and CEO of Royal Caribbean Cruises, said.
Celebrity Cruises signed a letter of intent for the two 117,000 gross ton cruise ships with French shipbuilder STX France in December 2014.
Featuring a length of 300 meters and a width of 38 meters, the new vessels will be able to carry 2,900 guests in 1,450 staterooms.
In June 2016, Royal Caribbean Cruises said that it entered into credit agreements for the financing of the first and second Edge-class ships.
Each agreement makes available to Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. a US dollar-denominated term loan guaranteed 100% by Compagnie Française D’Assurance pour le Commerce Extérieur (COFACE), the official export credit agency of France, upon acceptance and delivery of the relevant ship.
Once assigned to Royal Caribbean upon delivery of the ship, each loan is set to amortize semi-annually and mature twelve years thereafter.