Carnival Corp. has finalized contracts with Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri S.p.A. to build five new cruise ships. They include two that will be built for Costa Asia for deployment in China, two ships for Princess Cruises and one designated for P&O Cruises Australia, with deliveries expected in 2019 and 2020.
The new ships for both Costa Asia and P&O Cruises Australia are expected to be 135,500-ton vessels with the capacity to carry 4,200 passengers. The 143,700-ton, 3,560-passenger ships for Princess Cruises will be the brand’s fourth and fifth Royal-class vessels, featuring the successful layout used on the current Royal Princess, Regal Princess and the new Majestic Princess coming in 2017.