Carnival Corporation & plc, China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC) and Fincantieri have signed a firm memorandum of understanding to build two ships, with an option for another four, in China for the local market, Fincantieri said in a statement.
Fincantieri and CSSC have formed a joint venture company called Cruise Development Company, Limited and the agreement entails this company together with a joint venture Carnival and CSSC have established, plus Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding Co., Ltd (SWS), which is part of the CSSC group.
The first ship is expected to enter service in 2023. This is a year later than what the parties have anticipated so far and three years later than at the time of the establishment of the Carnival’s joint venture with its Chinese partners in 2015.
In the autumn, the parties agreed in principle to build these vessels, which were described at the time as 133,500 gross tons each. The tonnage is equal to that of Carnival Vista class ships that Fincantieri is building in Italy.
