Following the historic agreement of March 2015 and the memorandum of agreement of last December, Fincantieri and Carnival Corporation & plc finalised the contracts for the construction of five next-generation passenger ships on 2nd April. The deal exceeds €3 billion. Crucial to the agreement is the supporting of the export credit system lead by Cassa Depositi e Prestiti (CDP). This support represents for Fincantieri an essential element for the efficiency of the “Italian system”.

Two of the new ships will be built for the Costa Crociere brand Costa Asia, two for Princess Cruises and one for P&o Cruises Australia. They will all be built at the shipyards in Monfalcone and Marghera during the period 2019-2020, and will operate on emerging cruise markets. The announcement was made on board the Koningsdam during her handover. The new units will be specifically designed and developed for each brand and the guests they will serve. The ships for Costa Asia and P&o Australia will be 135,500gt vessels with the capacity to carry 4,200 passengers each. The ships for Princess Cruises will be 143,700gt with a 3,560-passenger capacity and the 4th and 5th members of the Royal Princess class.

Princess Cruises then announced that 2017 will see it’s longest ever Japan cruise season, with a total of 39 departures. Guests can choose to travel around Japan itself, or combine it with other countries including South Korea, Taiwan, Russia, Hong Kong and Vietnam. The increase in sailings reflects the fact that Asia is now the second most popular destination for Princess Cruises’ UK customers. The voyages range from 5 to 17 nights and sail between April and November. All cruises are on the 115,906gt/2004 built and 2,700-guest capacity diamond Princess.