Carnival Cruise Line’s Mardi Gras made her first port of call Tuesday morning, December 22, in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, where the newbuild refuelled her innovative LNG-Liquefied Natural Gas propulsion system for the first time following delivery.
Mardi Gras, scheduled to begin sailing from Port Canaveral Florida in 2021, will be the first liner in the Americas powered by LNG - considered the most advanced fuel technology of the marine industry. LNG requires larger, custom-built tanks than conventional fuel along with specialized refuelling stations like the one in Rotterdam.
Carnival Mardi Gras is one of the most technically advanced ships at sea, equipped with 4 medium-speed LNG engines that will be run at sea and in port. The liner can operate for 2 weeks between refuellings.
The newbuild was delivered to Carnival Cruise Line last week at Finland's Meyer Turku shipyard and is scheduled to depart Rotterdam on Wednesday, December 23, and then sail to Barcelona, Spain, before making her eventual arrival in the United States.
The inaugural voyage of the ship from Port Canaveral is scheduled for April 24, 2021.