Europe’s biggest shipbuilder Fincantieri has clinched its first deal to build ships for Germany-based AIDA Cruises in an agreement worth more than €2bn ($2.2bn) for two vessels, the company said on Monday.

The agreement marks a coup for Fincantieri with most of the 11 ships in the AIDA Cruises fleet previously built by Meyer Werft at its yard in Papenburg, Germany.

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The two identical ships are scheduled for delivery in 2030 and 2031 and will be built in Italy. Each ship will have 2,100 cabins for holidaymakers and will be equipped with engines capable of operating LNG, bio-diesel and future sustainable fuels, the two companies said.

Fincantieri said the contract decision reinforced its strategic partnership with Carnival Corp, the Miami-based parent company, which has more than 90 ships in operation across eight brands, including AIDA Cruises.

Fincantieri has previously built 75 ships across the cruise giant’s portfolio but none for AIDA, the third-largest German tour operator based on the country’s Baltic coast at Rostock.

Fincantieri CEO Pierroberto Folgiero said: “We are honoured that our long-standing partner Carnival Corp has selected Fincantieri to build ships for AIDA Cruises for the first time in our history.

“This milestone confirms our ability to serve the entire Carnival Corp portfolio while ensuring long-term term visibility for our shipyards.”

The contract was signed, subject to financing, on Monday at the world’s largest cruise trade fair in Miami.

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Nine of AIDA Cruises’ 11 ships have been built by Meyer Werft at Papenburg, Germany, the most recent being the 16,450-dwt AIDAcosma (built 2021).

The other two, the AIDAprima and AIDAperla, both 9,200 dwt and built in 2016 and 2017, respectively, were constructed by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries at their Nagasaki shipyard in Japan.

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