Cruising : Fincantieri – Construction of New “Sphere” Class Ship for Princess Cruises Begins
The steel of the first of two LNG (liquefied natural gas) cruise ships for Princess Cruises, a brand within Carnival Corporation, took place in San Giorgio di Nogaro (Udine) at Centro Servizi Navali, a company specialized in logistics and production of sheet metal for the Fincantieri yards located in northeastern Italy. The ship will be built in the Monfalcone yard.
At 175,000 gross tons, the “Sphere” vessels will be the largest ships built so far in Italy. They will each accommodate approximately 4,300 guests and will be based on a next-generation platform design, being the first Princess Cruises ships to be dual-fuel powered primarily by LNG. This is the marine industry’s most environmentally friendly advanced fuel technology and the world’s cleanest fossil fuel, which will significantly reduce air emissions and marine gasoil usage.
One of the best-known names in cruising, Princess Cruises is a world leader international premium cruise line and tour company operating a fleet of 14 modern cruise ships, carrying two million guests each year to 380 destinations around the globe.
With more than 7,000 ships built over its 230-year history, Fincantieri has built epoch-making ships in every era. The vessels built by the Group include undisputed global icons of the sea, such as the Amerigo Vespucci, the Italian Naval Academy training ship, and the transatlantic liner Rex, which held the “Blue Riband” record for the fastest transatlantic crossing of a passenger ship.
