Carnival Cruise Line, a subsidiary of Carnival Corporation, has held a christening ceremony for its new flagship, a cruise ship powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG), Carnival Celebration.
The ceremony for the new vessel took place at PortMiami on 21 November. On 27 November, the ship, which can accommodate more than 5,200 passengers, will begin a rotation of week-long Eastern and Western Caribbean sailings.
Carnival Celebration is also the second ship in the Carnival fleet, and the first to homeport in Miami, with an LNG propulsion system, which is part of Carnival Corporation’s decarbonisation efforts. It was delivered at the beginning of the month by Finnish shipbuilder Meyer Turku.
“This naming ceremony of our new flagship Carnival Celebration is the perfect culmination of our 50 th birthday as this spectacular ship honors our past and signifies the fun and growth ahead,” said Christine Duffy , president of Carnival Cruise Line.
The cruise ship will join sister Mardi Gras, which is the first ship in the Excel class to be powered by LNG.
The third unit, Carnival Jubilee is scheduled to enter the service in 2023. It will be identical to the previous two, completely fueled by LNG. The vessel will be based at the Port of Galveston in Texas and will sail to the western Caribbean.