Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri has clinched its second big cruise ship order this month.
The yard group said it has signed a deal with an unnamed international customer to build a new “ultra-luxury” vessel by the end of 2025.
The contract includes options for two more cruise ships and is worth €1.2bn ($1.2bn).
The project will be subject to access to financing, Fincantieri said, without giving any further details.
In May, Italian reports linked the yard to talks with Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) of the US for six new ships.
A contract under discussion was reputed to be worth $4bn, according to one source familiar with the matter.
The report said the now-retired Fincantieri chief executive Giuseppe Bono met NCL boss Frank del Rio and his wife in April for talks.
Earlier in July, Mediterranean Shipping Co (MSC) expanded its series of Explora Journeys cruise ships at Fincantieri to six in a deal that also now includes hydrogen power.
MSC said it had signed a contract for ships five and six.
They will use LNG as a main fuel, but will also be powered by green hydrogen to bring emissions down to zero in port.
Big orderbook
Explora Journeys is the luxury travel arm of the container ship giant’s cruise division.
In May, Fincantieri had 29 cruise ships on its books for delivery through to 2026 and one in the years after that. Six will be delivered from its Italian yards this year and one in the luxury niche segment from Norway’s Vard.
It also has orders for 26 offshore and specialised vessels for delivery through to 2024.
Fincantieri has built only four of NCL’s 28 operational cruise ships, the last in 2020.
