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NCL, Fincantieri extol the newly delivered Norwegian Prima

Fincantieri's Marghera shipyard handed over Norwegian Prima, first in a new series for Norwegian Cruise Line that offers extra space, luxe finishings and other premium elements.

Anne Kalosh, Editor, Seatrade Cruise News & Senior Associate Editor, Seatrade Cruise Review

July 29, 2022

4 Min Read
CRUISE Luigi Matarazzo Harry Sommer
Fincantieri's Luigi Matarazzo, left, and NCL's Harry Sommer sign for Norwegian Prima's handoverPHOTO: ©ALIVE COVERAGE

The 142,500gt ship has capacity for 3,100 passengers double occupancy, making it slighly smaller but more spacious than NCL's most recent vessels.

'This is the first ship my team and I developed for Norwegian Cruise Line from scratch, a clean sheet,' said Frank Del Rio, president and CEO, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings.

CRUISE Frank Del Rio

Frank Del Rio embodies 'a relentless pursuit of excellence,' according to Harry Sommer

Del Rio's 'last hurrah'

Aboard Norwegian Prima on Friday, he said: 'This ship is my last hurrah.

'I've been building ships for a long time,' and referred to those for Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises. For the Prima class, he decided: 'We're going to create a contemporary category vessel that if I blindfold you, if I drop you in, you're going to be hard-pressed to know if you're on an Oceania upper premium ship or a Regent ultra-luxury ship, and I think we've succeeded in doing that.

'And along the way, we still have many of those contemporary touch points — the vastness of the ship, the race track ...' Del Rio called the triple-deck track 'amazing,' stretching over a quarter mile, with one of the straightaways cutting through the smokestack and the ability to reach nearly 40 mph.

Harry Sommer's first newbuild signing

Before signing to take delivery of his first newbuild, NCL President and CEO Harry Sommer credited Del Rio's vision, attention to detail and 'relentless pursuit of excellence.'

Sommer called Norwegian Prima 'an incredible milestone,' presenting 'so many firsts' with a 'wonderful design' that includes the brand's best space ratio, best crew to guest ratio, best staterooms and best attractions.

'Something new and different no one else has'

'Frank made clear: I want something special, something new and different no one else has,' said Luigi Matarazzo, general manager Merchant Ships Division, Fincantieri.

'This one is the finest, most demanding and most complex vessel ever built by Fincantieri ... At the beginning, this ship was supposed to be a contemporary vessel. It is an upper-premium vessel.'

Matarazzo also cited an 'outstanding performance at sea trials,' reaching 21.9 knots, more than the 20.5 contracted, and with exceptional maneuverability, and minimal noise and vibration.

CRUISE Capt Roger Gustavsen

Capt. Roger Gustavsen compared Norwegian Prima's handling to a Ferrari

Capt. Roger Gustavsen raved about Norwegian Prima's handling and engineering, adding that, after all, 'Italy is where they make Ferrari.'

'This is a completely new vessel. The configuration is completely different,' Fincantieri's Maurizio Cergol, SVP marketing & new concept development, told Seatrade Cruise News. In first presenting his concept to NCL, he named it Leonardo, after da Vinci.

Over 41 years at Fincantieri, Cergol has been involved with more than half the 115 cruise ships built there. 'This is the most complicated ship so far,' he said. 'The quality and fittings you can find in ultra-luxury vessels of 40,000 or 50,000 gross tons and this is (nearly) 150,000. All the details are very sophisticated and well-chosen.'

CRUISE Harry Sommer Maurizio Cergol

Harry Sommer and Maurizio Cergol

Cergol thinks 'This ship is something that Leonardo would be very proud of — both the aesthetic and the technical, technological state of the art, looking forward.'

Acknowledgements

Del Rio and Sommer thanked Fincantieri; export credit agency SACE, Calyon Bank and NCLH executives including Robin Lindsay, EVP vessel operations; Marco Pastorino, newbuild project manager; Dan Farkas, EVP/general counsel; Mark Kansley, SVP hotel operations; Christine Da Silva, SVP branding and communications; Tom Markwell, senior director of events, and 'the crew, who give their heart and soul.'

CRUISE Robin Lindsay Luigi Matarazzo Dan Farkas Harry Sommer

From left, Robin Lindsay, Luigi Matarazzo, Dan Farkas, Harry Sommer

They also thanked interior designers Studio DADO, SMC Design, Piero Lissoni and Rockwell Group. Del Rio gave a special shout-out to Studio DADO's Greg Walton and Yohandel Ruiz, who were present, saying 'They are the primary reason we are in awe, our jaws are dropping.'  

CRUISE Greg Walton Yohandel Ruiz

Greg Walton, left, and Yohandel Ruiz

Sommer called Norwegian Prima 'a milestone, but we've just begun. With this ship, sister Norwegian Viva and four more, the best is yet to come.'

Fincantieri is building eight vessels for NCLH by 2027. Besides five more Prima-class ships, they include two Vista-class ships for Oceania Cruises and Seven Seas Grandeur for Regent Seven Seas Cruises.

CRUISE Norwegian Viva

Norwegian Viva

At Marghera, Norwegian Viva is already taking shape beside the newly delivered Prima.

Just posted: 'How Norwegian Prima raises the bar for Norwegian Cruise Line'

About the Author

Anne Kalosh

Editor, Seatrade Cruise News & Senior Associate Editor, Seatrade Cruise Review

Anne Kalosh covers global stories, reporting both breaking and in-depth news on cruising's significant people, places, ships and trends. A sought-after expert on cruising, she has moderated conferences around the world, including the high-profile State of the Industry panel at Seatrade Cruise Global. She created and led the acclaimed itinerary-planning case study for Seatrade's cruise master classes held at Cambridge and Oxford universities. She has been the cruise columnist for AFAR.com, and her freelance stories have appeared in a wide range of publications, from The New York Times to The Miami Herald.

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