NCL cancels second STX Europe F3 ship

Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) and STX France Cruise SA, STX Europe's French shipyard, announced today that they have reached an agreement and are moving forward with the construction of NCL's F3 cruise ship project.

Back in September, STX Europe (then still Aker Yards) revealed that it had been in dispute over the cost of the first of two vessels ordered by NCL in 2006, with a total value for both ships of EUR 1,470 million and scheduled for delivery in 2010.

Now NCL and STX Europe have agreed to revise the original F3 order. STX France Cruise is now building one F3 ship at 150,000-tons with a total of 4,200 passenger berths, representing the largest ship in NCL's fleet.

This will mean a continuation of the original hull which is currently in the early phases of construction, with delivery set for late May 2010, as originally scheduled. The planned second vessel, currently only in the preparatory stages, will not be built. Further terms of the agreement were not disclosed.