Shell to Fuel Carnival Cruise Line’s LNG-Powered Ships

Oil and gas firm Shell has signed an agreement to supply with liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Miami-based Carnival Cruise Line for North America’s first fully LNG-powered cruise ships.

Under this framework agreement, Shell will fuel Carnival Cruise Line’s two new ships, which are expected to launch in 2020 and 2022 and to be homeported in North America.

As part of the deal, the two vessels, built with a next-generation “green cruising” ship design, will be fueled through Shell’s LNG Bunker Barge (LBB) – a project announced earlier this week as part of Shell’s strategic plan to develop a global LNG bunkering network.

The new Carnival Cruise Line ships will be fully powered by LNG both while in port and at sea – “an industry first and an environmental breakthrough that will improve air quality with cleaner emissions and produce the most efficient ships in company history.”

The 180,000-ton ships, which are being constructed by Finnish shipbuilder Meyer Turku at the company’s Turku, Finland shipyard, will be the largest ships in Carnival Cruise Line’s fleet with an approximate passenger capacity of 5,200 based on double occupancy.

“Our two new cruise ships entering service in 2020 and 2022 will not only be the largest and most technologically advanced in our fleet but will break extraordinary new ground as the first LNG-powered cruise ships in North America,” Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line, said.

As part of the framework agreement, Carnival Corporation and Shell have the opportunity to partner together on supplying marine LNG fuel to future LNG-powered vessels or additional itineraries. The overarching agreement enables each Carnival Corporation brand to negotiate individual LNG supply contracts with Shell as new LNG-powered cruise ships begin to launch in coming years.