The Meyer Turku shipyard in Finland has released an update and work continues on two mega Carnival-owned cruise ships.
Meyer Turku Latest
As cruise lines around the world are on hold due to the global pandemic, cruise shipyards are starting to open up again and come have continued in a very limited capacity.
The shipyard posted on social media (Translated):
Our shipyard area in all its glory in April 2020! Carnival Mardi Gras is progressing at the equipment pier and the building pool shows Costa Toscana. There are still no confirmed coronavirus cases at the yard, but we monitor the progress of the situation every day and increase instructions. Have a sunny spring weekend!
The shipyard posted a stunning aerial photo showing Mardi Gras at the outfitting dock and some blocks of Costa Toscana just behind in the dry dock. Work is continuing on both vessels but no doubt extra measures are in place to keep workers safe and healthy.
It has also been confirmed of no cases of COVID-19 at the shipyard and hopefully with procedure in place this will remain the case as work continues on cruise ships.
This comes as Fincantieri in Italy and Chantiers de l’Atlantique in France are both starting to begin operations again after closing due to the coronavirus hitting hard in both countries. Those shipyards are also implementing strict social distancing and protection procedures to keep workers safe.
Even though there is good news on the shipyard front, many cruise lines are pushing for delayed deliveries as cruise operations are currently on pause. Even when cruises begin once again we could see limited sailings including those itineraries on new cruise ships entering service.
Also Read: Cruise Shipyards to Slowly Begin Opening Again
Mardi Gras is the largest ever cruise ship for Carnival Cruise Line and the vessel has already been delayed during construction not related to COVID-19. For now, the LNG-powered vessel is set to debut from Port Canaveral on November 14, but this could, of course, change due to the fluid situation impacting the cruise industry.
Costa Toscana is scheduled to be delivered in 2021 and is so far still on time. The ship is actually almost identical to Carnival Mardi Gras as they are both ordered by the same parent company. Both vessels are around 180,000 gross tons and will take the cruise lines into a new era of cruising once this pandemic is over.
Meyer Turku is located in Finland, and according to John Hopkins University, the country currently has 4,395 confirmed cases of COVID-19. There has sadly been 177 deaths.
