Carnival Delays New LNG Cruise Ship

Carnival Cruise Line has announced that it is delaying the launch of its new LNG cruise ship, the Mardi Gras, by three months.

The company attributes the delay to the impact of COVID-19 on the industry. Assuming no further delays, the Mardi Gras is scheduled to enter service on 6 February 2021.

“We continue to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on global commerce, public health, and our cruise operations,” said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line. “In addition to our current pause in service, there have been many other unintended consequences, including shipyard, dry dock, and ship delivery delays, and related changes to our deployment plans for our fleet. While we had hoped to make up construction time on Mardi Gras over the summer, it’s clear we will need extra time to complete this magnificent ship.”

Under construction at Meyer Turku in Finland with 180,000 gross tonnage, the Mardi Gras will also be Carnival’s largest cruise ship in history. It is expected to ply the North American cruise routes once completed. The delay of the Mardi Gras is only one of the consequences resulting from COVID-19’s ongoing impact on the cruise industry. Carnival had targeted August for its first cruises, but recently extended its suspension of service through September.

When completed, the Excellence-class Mardi Gras will join its classmates AIDANova, Costa Smeralda, and the yet to be delivered Iona in the latest ‘green cruising’ trend of LNG-powered seagoing vessels. Proponents of LNG power claim that it is much less polluting than bunker fuel, which forces ships that run the high-sulfur fuel to install ‘scrubbers’, to comply with marine environmental laws. The cost of LNG is also slightly lower than marine gas oil due to its increased production.