News

Meyer Turku floats out Mardi Gras

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines; Published: 24 January 2020 24 January 2020

The float out of the coming flag ship of Carnival Cruise Line, Mardi Gras, was celebrated today at Meyer Turku shipyard.

At some 180,000 gross tons, it will be the largest vessel in the fleet of the company that is part of Carnival Corporation & plc and the fourth unit in a class of LNG powered vessels but at Meyer Turku and Meyer Werft for four brands of the Carnival group.

“We can’t wait for our guests to experience Mardi Gras, a one-of-a-kind ship that is true game changer and continues the evolution of the Carnival vacation experience,” said Ben Clement, Carnival’s senior vice president of newbuilds, in a statement.

“I believe Mardi Gras will be a truly special ship. She will be the first to use our now proven LNG cruise ship propulsion system in North American markets and feature many other sophisticated technologies – including BOLT, the first roller coaster onboard a ship," CEO of Meyer Turku Jan Meyer stated.

With the float-out Mardi Gras' six themed zones are also beginning to take shape with the interior build out of spaces like Emeril’s Bistro 1396 created by famed chef Emeril Lagasse and a groundbreaking new atrium concept with spectacular three-deck-high floor-to-ceiling windows and moveable LED screens.

A cruise ship is always a result of cooperation by many parties. The shipyard’s own design office works with the ship owner architects to create a custom designed ship for the signature style of the Carnival brand – a totally new architectural design. Next almost 1000 specialized companies are engaged in providing materials and complex services to create the cruise ship at Turku Shipyard.

CEO Jan Meyer reminds that the ships are truly smart floating cities:“We are building all the facilities a smart modern city would have: hospitals, IT-networks, restaurants and sophisticated environmental technologies, on a ship sailing the seas. It is a very difficult undertaking but also the end result is really spectacular.”

Mardi Gras will be delivered in late October and Carnival has announced she will enter revenue service on 14 November from Port Canaveral, Florida.

In the spring, Meyer Werft is due to deliver Iona, the first of two ships of the class, to P&O Cruises in the UK, while Meyer Turku delivered Costa Smeralda, to Costa Crociere in December. AIDAnova, the first unit of the class, was handed over by Meyer Werft to AIDA Cruises in late 2018.

MSC Cruises and Chantiers de l’ Atlantique unveil two newbuilding projects

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines; Published: 20 January 2020 20 January 2020

MSC Cruises and Chantiers de l’Atlantique have unveiled two newbuilding projects after signing firm contracrs to build the third and fourth MSC World class vessels.

“First, the companies signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for the development of yet a new prototype class of LNG-powered cruise ships to operate under the MSC Cruises brand,” the Geneva based cruise company said in a statement.

For this project, MSC Cruises, Chantiers de l’Atlantique and other partners will focus on developing emerging environmental technologies in line in particular with IMO’s vision for 2030 and 2050. “The four vessels in this new class would represent a capital investment exceeding €4 billion and an extra 30 million working hours for the yard, the suppliers and subcontractors involved in the project,” MSC Cruises said.

A second MoU covers joint development of yet another innovative prototype ship class concept with which the two companies will explore opportunities that wind power and other advanced technologies could bring to passenger shipping.

Pierfrancesco Vago, Executive Chairman, MSC Cruises, said: “The three agreements signed today extend our investment plan up to 2030. They stem from an exceptional partnership, with Chantiers, that has already delivered 15 highly-innovative innovative cruise ships over the past two decades and will see many more vessels come to life at Saint-Nazaire’s docks in the next ten years. They also confirm that this industry’s commitment to environmental sustainability, in this case helping the French national industry further position itself as a world leader in the development of next- generation technologies and other solutions.”

Laurent Castaing, General Manager, Chantiers de l’Atlantique, said: “We are really proud and happy to have built such an outstanding relationship with MSC Cruises, based on mutual trust and driven by the spirit of innovation. We are both committed to shaping the cruise of tomorrow and to developing ship concepts which go far beyond the existing environmental standards. Our companies have already been working together for twenty years and these new projects allow us to look enthusiastically to the future.”

MSC Cruises, Chantiers de l’Atlantique sign firm contracts for third and fourth MSC World class ship

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines; Published: 20 January 2020 20 January 2020

MSC Cruises, the Geneva based cruise shipping company and the French shipbuilder Chantiers de l’Atlantique have signed firm contracts for construction of third and fourth LNG-powered MSC World Class ships, the cruise line said in a statement.

These 205,700 gross ton vessels will be delivered in 2025 and 2027, respectively. The first of the initial two ships in the class is currently under construction at Chantiers’ shipyard in Saint- Nazaire and is due to enter service in 2022.

The ship will become the biggest vessel operated by a European cruise line as well as the first LNG-powered cruise ship built in France. “Compared to standard marine fuel, LNG combined with saving measures decreases sulphur emissions and particulate matter by 99%, NOx emissions by 85%, and CO2 emissions by 25%,’ MSC Cruises said..

These contracts represent a capital investment by MSC Cruises exceeding €2 billion and are expected to generate with the shipyard and its suppliers 14 million additional working hours, amounting to over 2,400 full-time equivalent jobs for the next three and a half years, directly supported by those orders.

“Today’s signature also allows Chantiers de l’Atlantique to start working with the hundreds of suppliers and subcontractors involved in the projects, setting in motion a new cycle that will greatly benefit the French economy,” the company said.