Italian cruise ship builder Fincantieri has delivered today at its shipyard in Ancona the Viking Sea, the second of six cruise ships Viking Ocean Cruises has ordered from the yard. Viking Sea, as its sister ships, is placed in the small cruise ship segment as it features a gross tonnage of about 47,800 tons. The ship has 465 cabins with accommodation for 930 passengers, with a total capacity of over 1,400 people, including the crew. The company’s third ship of the class, the Viking Sky,...

China’s biggest liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier, which features a length of 290 meters, was launched at the Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding, Shanghai, on April 15. The vessel, named Pan Asia, will be deployed on a route from Queensland Curtis LNG terminal in Australia to China and will carry some 1.5 million tons of LNG annually once it commences operations in 2017. The ship, which was ordered in July 2014, was constructed in two years for China National Offshore Oil Corporation (...

The 1800-passenger Costa neoRomantica will be based in Asia year-round starting from April 10, 2017, the cruise ship’s owner Costa Group said. The 56,800-gross ton vessel will be the fifth Costa ship deployed regularly in Asia and operated by the Costa Asia brand.  “The deployment of a fifth Costa ship in Asia in 2017, in addition to the two new fleet members that will be built specially for Costa Asia, will allow us to continue to significantly grow the Asian cruise mark...

Geneva-based cruise line MSC Cruises has signed a letter of intent for four more World Class cruise ships to be built at STX France’s shipyard in Saint Nazaire, the cruise company confirmed. Featuring a weight of 200,000 gross tons, the ships will be fueled by liquefied natural gas (LNG) and have the capacity to carry some 5,400 passengers. The deal, which is reportedly worth some EUR 4 billion (USD 4.5 billion), will see the ships debute in 2022. The four new ...