Port Canaveral angles for first LNG-fueled cruise ship in North America

Executives from Carnival and the Canaveral Port Authority are shown here in the cruise line’s Miami headquarters following a meeting to discuss the deployment of a new 180,000-ton ship, Carnival’s largest, to Port Canaveral. From left: Carnival Corporation VP Port and Destination Development David Candib, Carnival Cruise Line EVP Professional Services James Heaney, Canaveral Port Authority Port Director and CEO Capt. John Murray, Carnival Cruise Line President Christine Duffy, and Carnival Cruise Line COO Gus Antorcha

AUGUST 21, 2018 — The Canaveral Port Authority recently reported it had reached an agreement in principle with Carnival Cruise Line on a new state-of-the-art terminal able to accommodate a new LNG-fueled, 180,000-ton cruise ship, the largest ever constructed for the line, set to debut in 2020.

The new cruise ship will have 5,286 lower berths and will be the first LNG-fueled cruise ship based in North America. The official steel-cutting ceremony for the ship at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Turku, Finland, is scheduled for November 2018.  

The agreement is expected to be included on the agenda of the Canaveral Port Authority Board of Commissioners’ meeting on Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2018.

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