Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri appears to be on the cusp of winning more lucrative ship construction orders from Carnival Corporation brands, including a new series of vessels for Carnival Cruise Line, AIDA Cruises, and possibly Costa Cruises.
The company is negotiating the building of six ships, and an option for two additional ships, all in excess of 150,000-gross tons, according to the trade publication Shipping Italy. The total value of the contract for six ships, with deliveries to begin in 2029, is expected to be in the range of 8 billion euros ($8.7 billion USD).
Construction of all planned ships is expected to be carried out at either Fincantieri’s Genoa and/or Marghera shipyards in Italy. To be clear, Carnival Corporation has not announced or confirmed this new order as of this publishing date.
AIDA Cruises, with 11 ships in its fleet — mostly built by the Meyer Werft shipyard, caters to the German market while Costa Cruises, with 10 ships currently operating, attracts most of its guests from Italy and other European countries.
A potential new class of ship for Costa Cruises could buoy the line’s fleet, which was made smaller with the transfer of three vessels to Carnival Cruise Line in recent years.
The 2,300-guest Costa Luminosa was transferred to Carnival Cruise Line and renamed Carnival Luminosa in 2022, the same year that Carnival Cruise Line unveiled the sub-brand “Costa as Carnival,” better known as “Carnival Fun Italian Style.”
Carnival Luminosa is not part of that initiative, however, two other Costa ships, Costa Venezia and Costa Firenze, were shifted to the Fun Ship line, becoming Carnival Venezia in 2023 and Carnival Firenze in 2024. Both were renovated to feature traditional Fun Ship elements while retaining their Italian-style ambiance.
The additional new-builds for Carnival Cruise Line might come as a surprise to cruise watchers, since the line announced less than a month ago that it placed an order with Fincantieri for a new class of mega-ship.
The Miami-based line ordered three vessels, all in the 230,000-gross ton range, slated for delivery in 2029, 2031, and 2033. Few details of the new class were revealed, but each ship is expected to accommodate 6,000 guests, double occupancy, in about 3,000 cabins. With all berths occupied, the ships will have capacity for up to 8,000 guests.
The ships will be the largest cruise vessels ever constructed by Fincantieri. The three-ship order is contingent on financing, which is expected to be completed before the end of 2024.
Shipyard Posts Double-Digit Hike in Profits
Fincantieri is a major player in cruise ship construction. The company, whose history dates back to the 18th century, has built 100 cruise ships for 18 cruise brands since 1990. Its marketing materials point out that one in every three cruise guests sails on a Fincantieri-built ship.
Read Also: Carnival Ships by Size: Biggest to Smallest
The shipyard posted a 16% spike in profits for the first half of 2024, reaching 214 million euro ($231 million USD). The company’s quarterly report refers to its successful commercial strategy that has yielded “large orders for medium and large capacity ships,” extending the shipyard’s workload to 2036.
Besides the recent Carnival Cruise Line order and the new orders in negotiation, Fincantieri in April 2024 secured orders for four ships from Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings.
The order includes four, 200,000-gross ton ships for Norwegian Cruise Line, and two ships each for sister brands Oceania Cruises and ultra-luxe line Regent Seven Seas Cruises. Delivery of these vessels is slated to begin in 2026 and continue on a staggered basis through 2036.
