Fincantieri has confirmed that a letter of intent (LoI) signed with Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings (NCLH), announced last April, has been upgraded to a firm order.
This contract calls for the construction of four new cruise ships for its Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) brand.
The agreement is still subject to financing and other typical terms and conditions.
With a gt of around 226,000, the new ships will be the largest yet built for NCL.
The ships will be built at the Fincantieri’s Monfalcone shipyard, with the first to be delivered in 2030 and the others to follow in 2032, 2034, and 2036.
With over 5,100 berths, the ships will be able to accommodate over 8,300 persons, including crew.
Designed according to the highest standards of comfort and technology, these ships will also include sustainability features, Fincantieri said.
The Italian shipbuilding giant has already built two ships for NCL, ‘Norwegian Prima’ and ‘Norwegian Viva’, while ‘Norwegian Aqua’, the first of the ‘Prima Plus’ class, will be delivered in the coming months.
In addition, three other ships are in various stages of design and construction.
Fincantieri has also delivered the ‘Mein Schiff Relax’ to TUI Cruises from the Monfalcone shipyard.
She is the first of two ‘InTUItion’ class cruise ships and has a dual-fuel capability, utilising both LNG and Marine Gas Oil (MGO). Her sistership is due for delivery in mid-2026.
Of around 160,000 gt, ‘Mein Schiff Relax’ is also designed to utilise future alternative low-emission fuels, such as bio-LNG and e-LNG.
She is also fitted with catalytic converters that meet Euro 6 standards, a turbine that captures residual heat from her diesel generators, and an electrical shore-power connection, plus a waste treatment system that transforms organic materials into recyclable components using a thermal process.
