Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings has reached an agreement with Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri for the construction of four new cruise ships, with an option for two additional vessels, for its Norwegian Cruise Line brand.
The company’s four next generation ships are scheduled for delivery in 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025. If NCL exercises the contract option, the two additional cruise ships would be handed over to their owner in 2026 and 2027.
Ordered at a price of EUR 800 million (USD 850.1 million) a piece, each of the four 140,000 gross ton ships will accommodate around 3,300 guests.
Norwegian Cruise Line said that it obtained export credit financing with favorable terms to fund 80 percent of the contract price of each ship delivered through 2025, subject to certain conditions.
“This new class of ships will continue Norwegian Cruise Line brand’s legacy of introducing meaningful innovation to the cruise industry,” Frank Del Rio, president and chief executive officer of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, said.
The new class of ships will build upon the brand’s most recent Breakaway-Plus Class ships. A priority of the prototype design is energy efficiency, with the aim of optimizing fuel consumption and reducing the impact on the environment, according to the cruise company.