PRINCESS Cruises, part of the Carnival group, has signed an agreement with an Italian shipbuilder for two new dual-fuel ships.

The vessels will be built by the Fincantieri yard in Monfalcone and are due for delivery in late 2023 and spring 2025.

The two ships will be 175,000 gross tonnes and accommodate approximately 4,300 guests, making them the largest in the Princess fleet.

The new vessels will be Princess Cruises’ first ships to be dual-fuel powered – primarily by Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) a cleaner alternative to conventional oil-powered propulsion

The new ships, which will be the largest by capacity in the Princess Cruises fleet, will be built at Fincantieri’s shipyard in Italy.

Jan Swartz, president of Princess Cruises, said: “This revolutionary platform for next-generation, LNG-powered cruise ships will introduce innovative design and leisure experiences driven by the future holiday and lifestyle trends of our guests – further evolving the already best-in-class Princess Cruises experience we deliver today. We look forward to collaborating with Fincantieri to bring our vision for this next-generation premium cruise ship into service.”

Princess Cruises already has three new Royal-class ships on order with Fincantieri, including its next new ship, Sky Princess, which is currently under construction and scheduled for delivery in October 2019.

The two other Royal-class ships are planned for delivery in 2020 and 2022.

The agreement for Princess Cruises’ next-generation cruise ships represent Carnival Corporation’s 10th and 11th contracted LNG-based vessels and are part of the company’s ongoing fleet enhancement strategy.

Princess Cruises has recently refurbished the 2,000-guest Sun Princess following a two-week refit in Singapore.

The multimillion-pound enhancements include a redesigned youth centre, new premium staterooms and upgraded onboard shopping.

Carnival Corporation currently has 20 new ships under contract and scheduled for delivery between 2018 and 2025.