July 13, 2018 - In March of last year, Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) announced the first details of the new Leonardo ship class. The ships are smaller than the current newbuildings in the Breakaway Plus class. According to current knowledge, four Leonardo ships should be delivered between 2022 and 2025. Now there are those in Miami / Fl. resident shipping company known to build two more ships of this class.
While the ships in the Breakaway Plus class are measured at around 167.800 GT and can hold around 4.000 passengers, the ships in the Leonardo class are smaller. Their size is put at 140.000 tons. Around 3.300 guests should find space on board. NCL evidently justifies the trend towards smaller ship units with optimizations in terms of the planning of worldwide operations.
Norwegian Leonardo class - rendering photo: © Norwegian Cruise Line
It is said that the new ship class is based on the very successful concept of the Breakaway Plus class. The ships will have a variety of innovative design elements. When designing the prototype, particular attention should be paid to energy efficiency. The aim is to optimize fuel consumption and reduce environmental pollution. Details on the numerous innovative on-board facilities that are being offered for the first time on a cruise ship will follow at a later date.
Norwegian Leonardo class - rendering photo: © Norwegian Cruise Line
Three brands are located under the umbrella of the holding company: Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises. Together, the brands have 26 ships and around 54.400 lower beds. The ships call at more than 450 destinations worldwide.
In the autumn of next year, NCL will take over the new building for the time being Norwegian Encore. With the announcement of the further expansion of the fleet, the umbrella company Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings has ordered seven ships for NCL and one for the associated company Regent Seven Seas Cruises. The ships will be delivered by 2027.
