Carnival Corporation has announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding with the Italian shipyard Fincantieri to build a new cruise ship for the iconic Cunard.
The new Cunard ship will be built at Fincantieri's Monfalcone shipyard in Italy, with an expected delivery date in 2022.This ship, whose name has not yet been revealed, will join the Queen Mary 2, Queen Victoria, and Queen Elizabeth as the fourth member of the Cunard fleet, giving the luxury brand four ships in operation simultaneously for the first time since 1998.
This ship will be the 249th in the Cunard fleet since the company's founding in 1839. Cunard will announce further details in early 2018. With this new order, Carnival Corporation currently has 18 ships under construction for delivery between 2018 and 2022.
“We are thrilled to announce a fourth ship for our immensely popular Cunard brand, which is also one of the most legendary brands in the travel industry,” said Arnold Donald, CEO of Carnival Corporation. “Cunard offers an unrivaled fleet of ships and one of the most unique travel experiences in the world.”.
The agreement to build a fourth ship for Cunard extends the brand's recent strength and momentum in the market, including the huge 175th anniversary celebrations in 2015 and investing $172 million in the past two years to refurbish the Queen Mary 2 and the Queen Victoria.
