The hull assembly phase of the 180,000 gross ton cruise ship Mardi Gras, under construction for Carnival Cruise Line, was launched with a traditional coin ceremony at Meyer Turku shipyard on June 18.
The vessel is the second LNG-powered cruise ship being built by Finnish shipbuilder Meyer Turku.
The assembly of the hull was launched a few weeks before by the arrival of the floating engine room unit from Neptun Werft in Rostock, Germany.
“This is a historic day for Carnival – the official start of construction of the spectacular Mardi Gras which will usher in an exciting new chapter for our company and introduce so many guest-pleasing innovations,” Ben Clement, Carnival Cruise Lines SVP Newbuilds, said.
Carnival Mardi Gras is already benefiting from some of the investments of Meyer Turku’s EUR 200 million investment program. The steel halls at the shipyard are going through a major rebuilding with new machines and IT-systems, but also new processes to build the ships with newly trained employees.
“We are seeing the benefits already and will continue to see more benefits later this year. Already our automated steel pre-treatment facility and storage have been up and running for some time now and supporting the steel construction of Mardi Gras,” Jan Meyer, CEO of Meyer Turku, said.