German shipbuilder Meyer Werft has secured a contract from Japan’s Oriental Land Company (OLC) to build a Disney Wish-class cruise ship powered by LNG for the Japanese market.
Meyer Werft said in a statement on Tuesday that the the two firms have signed the contract in Tokyo and it expects to deliver the ship in 2028.
The shipbuilder did not reveal the price tag of the contract or any details regarding the vessel’s propulsion in the statement.
A spokesperson for Meyer Werft confirmed to LNG Prime that the new ship will also run on LNG, such as the previous vessels in the Disney Wish-class series.
In June 2022, Meyer Werft delivered the first LNG-powered cruise vessel in this series, Disney Wish, to Disney Cruise Line, a unit of the US-based Walt Disney Company.
Meyer Weft is also building the LNG-powered Disney Treasure and Disney Destiny and these vessels will join the fleet in 2024 and 2025.
According to Meyer Werft, OLC, which operates the Disney theme parks in Japan, is expected to start operation of the new LNG-powered ship by early 2029.
OLC reached a decision to enter into the cruise business in Japan, and has concluded an agreement with Disney to “bring the magic of Disney cruise to the Japanese market for the first time,” it said.
The Japanese company is as a new customer for Meyer Werft.
In March this year, Meyer Werft has won an order to build another LNG-fueled vessel for Miami-based Carnival Cruise Line, a unit of Carnival.
This is the fifth Excel class cruise ship for Carnival’s unit Carnival Cruise Line.