MEYER WERFT lays keel for Carnival Jubilee
This is the first time that a ship for this Miami-based brand and shipping company is being built in Papenburg.
Carnival Jubilee is fixing to start sailing from Galveston, Texas, next year and Carnival Cruise Line’s third cruise ship to be powered by liquified natural gas (LNG) got its first taste of Texas today with the keel laying ceremony at Meyer Werft in Papenburg, Germany.
Wearing cowboy-shaped hard hats, Carnival Cruise Line President Christine Duffy was joined by Meyer Werft Managing Director Bernard Meyer and Carnival’s Senior Vice President of Newbuilds Ben Clement, among others, to celebrate the construction milestone by placing coins under a 375-ton keel block.
The coins signify good luck for the ship and will remain under its foundation as the structure is built. One of the ship’s lucky coins is an official ship coin, which commemorates an important part of Carnival history while celebrating its future by showing Carnival Jubilee alongside the original MS Jubilee from 1986. The coins will later be placed in a special compartment near Carnival Jubilee’s mast as permanent fixtures of the ship.
Carnival Jubilee will be the first Carnival Cruise Line ship built in Papenburg, Germany. Meyer Werft has already built four other LNG-powered ships for other cruise lines under Carnival Corporation. Carnival Jubilee will be Carnival’s third ship to run on a liquified natural gas (LNG) technology platform. Carnival Corporation pioneered the introduction of LNG fuel in the passenger cruise sector as part of the company’s ongoing commitment to sustainability and emissions reduction. Meyer Turku in Finland delivered sister ship Mardi Gras last year and will deliver Carnival Celebration later this year.
Bernard Meyer, Managing Director of MEYER WERFT, said:
"We are pleased to take another symbolic step in the construction of the Carnival Jubilee with the keel laying. The MEYER team will once again produce an advanced and innovative cruise ship that will provide a great vacation for millions of passengers."
The Carnival Jubilee will now be completed in the world's largest covered shipbuilding dock at MEYER WERFT and delivered at the end of 2023. Carnival Cruise Line will then deploy the ship for cruises to the Caribbean from the Texas port of Galveston.
Carnival Jubilee is the third ship of a series MEYER Group is building for Carnival Cruise Line. MEYER TURKU has already delivered the Mardi Gras in 2020, followed by the Carnival Celebration in 2022. All ships are equipped with the low-emission LNG propulsion system. The highlight for passengers on board the three ships will be a roller coaster for the first time.
