Port Canaveral will be home to Carnival brand's first LNG ship

North America's first LNG-powered cruise ship

It's also the first LNG-powered ship to sail for the Carnival brand, and is set to debut in 2020.

The terms of the agreement are expected to be included on the agenda of the Canaveral Port Authority Board of Commissioners’ meeting Aug. 29. If approved, the agreement will clear the way for Carnival's plans to base the 5,286-lower-berth ship at Port Canaveral, further bolstering the line’s position as the port’s No. 1 cruise operator.

Never-before-seen features

Carnival said the vessel will offer an array of groundbreaking, never-before-seen features and attractions while also being the first North American-based cruise ship powered by LNG.

'We are very excited about the prospects of homeporting our largest ship at Port Canaveral, a valued business partner for more than 25 years,' Carnival president Christine Duffy said. 'Easily accessible from all over the Southeast with excellent facilities and friendly staff, Port Canaveral is one of our most popular and fastest-growing homeports.'

'The port and Carnival Cruise Line have worked closely for decades, building a successful partnership together. We are proud of our partners at Carnival and eager to begin this new chapter in our business relationship,' Port Canaveral director and CEO Capt. John Murray said.

Steel-cutting set for November

Construction of the 180,000gt cruise ship is scheduled to begin in November with the official steel-cutting ceremony at Meyer Turku in Finland. Further ship details, along with itineraries from Port Canaveral, are expected to be announced in 2019.

Carnival currently has three year-round ships based at Port Canaveral, carrying upwards of 650,000 passengers a year. In October, the newer Carnival Breeze will reposition to the port.

For more on how Canaveral and other key ports are preparing to handle LNG cruise ships, look to Seatrade Cruise Review's September issue

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