zoomIllustration. Image Courtesy: Pixabay under CC0 Creative Commons license

Cruise line Princess Cruises, a brand of Carnival Corporation, and shipbuilder Fincantieri signed today final contracts for the construction of two next-generation 175,000-ton cruise ships.

First announced in July 2018, the newbuilds would be the largest ships built in Italy so far.

Scheduled for delivery in Monfalcone in late 2023 and in spring 2025, the vessels will be able to accommodate approximately 4,300 passengers each. They will be based on next-generation platform design, being the first Princess Cruises ships to be dual-fuel powered primarily by liquefied natural gas (LNG).

“Princess Cruises continues to grow globally — adding new ships to our fleet built by our long-time trusted ship building partner, Fincantieri,” Jan Swartz, Princess Cruises President, commented, adding that the ships will include the company’s MedallionClass platform.

In 2017, Princess Cruises introduced MedallionClass Vacations enabled by the OceanMedallion, a wearable device for guests sailing on a MedallionClass ship. MedallionClass Vacations will be activated on five ships by the end of 2019. An activation plan will continue across the global fleet in 2020 and beyond, according to the company.

Three new Royal-class ships are currently on order with the next new ship under construction, Sky Princess, scheduled for delivery in October 2019, followed by Enchanted Princess in June 2020. With the latest LNG cruise vessel pair order, Princess Cruises now has five ships arriving over the next six years between 2019 and 2025.

The cruise line operates a fleet of 17 cruise ships, carrying two million passengers each year.