French yard to build sixth Edge-class cruise ship for Royal Caribbean

The Royal Caribbean Group has selected French shipbuilder Chantiers de l'Atlantique for the construction of a new Edge-class cruise ship for operation by Royal Caribbean's wholly owned subsidiary Celebrity Cruises.

The ship will be the sixth in the Edge-class, all of which have been ordered by Royal Caribbean on behalf of Celebrity Cruises. Celebrity Xcel, the fifth ship in the class, is scheduled to be handed over in November of this year and will sail on its inaugural season in the Caribbean out of Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Upon completion, the sixth Edge-class ship will also have a length of 1,003 feet (300 metres), a beam of 127 feet (38.7 metres), a draught of 27 feet (8.2 metres), a passenger capacity of 2,908, and a gross tonnage of approximately 140,600. The 3,260 guest accommodations will include balcony staterooms, some of which will have panoramic windows.

Delivery of the vessel is scheduled for 2028.