Carnival is preparing to order new mega ships ships of 208,000 gross tons with a capacity for almost 10,000 passengers and crew from Fincantieri. These newbuildings would be the largest ever built in Italy and the order should be around 7 billion euros. First delivery would be at the end of 2028, reports ShippingItaly.it

The CEO of Fincantieri, Pierroberto Folgiero, had announced it last September: new orders for cruise ships are "in the oven" and in the first months of 2024 the cooking time will come to an end. In fact, although it will still take some time to sign the construction contracts, the Carnival Corporation is ready to put the dark period of the Covid-19 pandemic behind it to return to investing in new ships.

Currently Carnival Corporation & plc has just three ships on its order book – all from Fincantieri: Sun Princess and Star Princess for its Princess Cruises brand and Queen Anne for its Cunard Line brand.

Photo: 175,500 gross ton Sun Princess is currently in the outfitting stage in Fincantieri's Monfalcone shipyard. Credit: Teijo Niemela