Book one more ship! Carnival Group Returns to Meyer Werft Shipyard to Book Luxury Cruises
After its first order in February, the world's largest cruise company, Carnival Group, returned to Meyer Werft shipyard in Germany after just one month and ordered another Excel class luxury cruise ship.
This will be the 11th Excel class cruise ship among the four major brand fleets under the Carnival Group, and also the 5th Excel class cruise ship under its Carnival cruise brand, expected to be delivered in 2028. The new ship will adopt the same specifications as other sisters ships, with a gross tonnage of 180000 tons, and will be powered by LNG dual fuel. It can carry more than 6400 passengers and 1800 crew members.
"Since the launch of the 'Mardi Gras' in 2021, followed by the' Carnival Celebration 'in 2022, and the' Carnival Jubilee 'in 2023, these Excel class cruise ships have brought excitement, demand, and strong passenger satisfaction. With the upcoming addition of the' Carnival Firenze 'to the fleet in April, we will add 5 new cruise ships in less than 20 months, and then enter another growth phase through the construction of two new Excel class cruise ships."
It is understood that Carnival Group had just announced in mid February that it had signed an agreement with Meyer Werft Shipyard to build the fourth LNG powered Excel class luxury cruise ship for its Carnival brand. The new ship is planned to be put into operation in the spring of 2027, and the specific price has not been disclosed. This order is also the first luxury cruise ship ordered by Carnival Group in the past five years.
After the epidemic, the handheld orders of Carnival Group have dropped to the lowest level in modern times. In addition to the two latest Excel class cruise ships ordered this year, the company only has two 175500 gross ton LNG powered luxury cruise ships built by Italian shipbuilding group Fincantieri for Princess Cruises under construction, which are scheduled to be delivered in the next two years; And the 113000 ton Queen Anne, built for the Cunard Line, is expected to be delivered in 2024.
According to official website data, Carnival Cruise Company was founded in 1972 and is one of the most well-known brands in the cruise industry. It operates 23 cruise ships, aiming to provide fun and unforgettable vacation experiences at great prices.
Speaking of the latest order, Josh Weinstein, CEO of Carnival Group, said, "This new order will continue to balance our commitment to growth with a responsible capital policy, strategically improving our balance sheet with strong free cash flow in the coming years, significantly reducing our leverage level, and continuing to transfer value from debt holders to shareholders."
He pointed out, "Carnival Cruise Company continues to maintain excellent performance, and we are focusing on increasing capacity across the company based on demand and our market position. We will determine more fleet plans for our cruise company in the coming months to meet capacity needs, improve our operational execution in all aspects, and achieve higher return on investment capital."
According to the plan, starting from 2027, Carnival Group will add one to two new cruise ships annually, which will be allocated in batches to the cruise brands under the group that need the most transportation capacity to meet demand, thereby achieving an attractive investment payback period.
For Meyer Werft shipyard, the new orders from Carnival Group are also its first batch of large cruise orders in recent years. According to Clarkson data, Meyer Werft currently holds orders for 7 cruise ships, and except for 2 ordered this year, the remaining 5 ships were ordered and built in 2021 or earlier. These 5 ships will be delivered within the next two years.
