Princess Cruises inks deal worth over US$2.4Bn for three LNG-powered cruise ships

Princess Cruises has signed a contract with a value in excess of €2Bn (US$2.36Bn) with Fincantieri to build three LNG-fuelled cruise ships, each with capacity for approximately 4,700 passengers.

At 183,000 gt, these will be the largest vessels yet for the Carnival Cruise Corp brand. The Voyager-class units will be built at Fincantieri’s Monfalcone yard, with deliveries scheduled for 2035, 2038, and 2039.

Building on the cruise line’s Sphere-class ships, the new vessels will feature dual-fuel engines primarily powered by LNG. Both companies describe LNG as the most readily deployable option currently available for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in cruise shipping.

The order will bring Carnival Corp’s LNG-powered fleet to 21 vessels, as part of a broader newbuild programme that includes seven additional ships due for delivery between 2027 and 2033.

Pierroberto Folgiero, chief executive of Fincantieri, said the agreement strengthens the companies’ long-standing partnership and provides visibility for its shipyards through to 2039.

The shipbuilder recently built two Sphere-class ships for Princess Cruises at Monfalcone: Sun Princess and Star Princess, completed in 2024 and 2025, respectively. This new order further strengthens a long-standing relationship that has already resulted in 21 vessels built at the shipyard over the past 35 years, Fincantieri said.

LNG remains cruise ship sector’s most deployable decarbonisation option

Sustained post-pandemic recovery in cruise demand continues to support newbuild plans, with LNG still leading as the fuel of choice for new vessels.

A new report by Lloyd’s Register (LR) shows LNG is now the most widely adopted alternative fuel in the cruise sector, across both the orderbook and in-service fleet. The classification society cites scalability, established bunkering infrastructure, and alignment with existing safety and regulatory frameworks as key drivers.

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