Fincantieri has delivered the 156,000 gt, 3,550 pax ‘Norwegian Aqua’ to Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL).
She was built at the Marghera (Venice) shipyard and is the first ship of the expanded ‘Prima Plus’ class cruise ships that Fincantieri is building for NCL.
At 1,056 ft long, ‘Norwegian Aqua’ is 10% larger than the first two ‘Prima Class’ vessels, ‘Norwegian Prima’ and ‘Norwegian Viva’, which were also built by Fincantieri.
The new cruise ship features the Aqua Slidecoaster, the world’s first hybrid rollercoaster and waterslide; the Glow Court, a new high-tech digital sports complex with an interactive LED floor; as well as the Aqua Game Zone, a multi-faceted entertainment space fitted with virtual reality games.
Moreover, ‘Norwegian Aqua’ features the most expansive 360 deg outdoor promenade to date – Ocean Boulevard – Fincantieri claimed.
Over the past few months, more than 4,000 people, including Fincantieri personnel and partner companies, have worked on board the new ship.
In addition to ‘Norwegian Aqua’s’ delivery, the Fincantieri shipyard in Marghera experienced another milestone with the launching ceremony of her sistership ’Norwegian Luna, which is due for delivery in spring 2026.
This comes just weeks after the announcement of an order for four 226,000 gt cruise ships – the largest yet to be built for NCL by Fincantieri.
Watson Farley & Williams (WFW) advised a syndicate of lenders led by BNP Paribas, SACE and SIMEST on the financing and delivery of ‘Norwegian Aqua’.
The cross-border WFW finance team that advised the lenders was led by Paris Partner, Alexia Russell, supported by London Associate, Parit Patani, Paris Associate, Panagiotis Pantos and Trainee Solicitor, Emma Devenish.
Russell commented: “We are delighted to have assisted BNPP and the lenders on another successful delivery for NCLH, having most recently advised the syndicate of lenders on the deliveries of ’Seven Seas Grandeur’ and ’Vista’ in 2023.
“We wish both the vessel and NCLH all the best as it enters into service,” she said.
