NCL’s Next Prima-Class Ships Will Be Bigger & Greener

Norwegian Cruise Line’s next four Prima-class ships will be bigger and more sustainable, utilizing green methanol as fuel.

The announcement came during Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings’ quarter four earnings call on Tuesday, February 28, according to Travel Weekly.

Executives said the third and fourth Prima-class ships will debut in 2025 and 2026 and will be around 10 percent bigger in gross tonnage than the Norwegian Prima, the first in the NCL’s new class of ships. The fifth and sixth Prima ships will be 20 percent larger, making them the largest in the entire fleet, and they will debut in 2027 and 2028.

“In addition to having the ship larger to house the methanol tanks, we’re able to get more scale on those as well, more passenger count,” said Norwegian Cruise Line CEO Harry Sommer.

All four of these ships will be able to use green methanol as fuel along with diesel, which isn’t a currently widely available fuel to source, hence the longer debut dates.

There is no current information on how using methanol could help reduce carbon emissions, though it is one of a few more sustainable options than traditional marine fuel. Other options include liquid natural gas, hydrogen fuel cells and potentially promising biofuels.