Newly delivered vessels include a Ro-Pax ferry for Scotland and a cruise ship for a US operator. Construction is ongoing on new electric ferries for Russia's capital city and cruise ships designed for the Nile River in Egypt. Lastly, a South Korean builder has secured an order for a new ferry from a local customer.
A new Ro-Pax ferry recently delivered to Scottish owner Caledonian Maritime Assets (CMAL) has commenced operational sailings.
Isle of Islay is the first in a planned series of four vessels ordered by CMAL for operation by affiliate CalMac Ferries. Design work was undertaken by Norwegian naval architecture firm LMG Marin in compliance with Lloyd's Register class rules.
The ferry has begun deployment on CMAL's Clyde and Hebrides network, between Islay and Jura. Sister ship Loch Indaal will serve the same route following her delivery in the third quarter of this year.
Russia's Moscow Shipbuilding Plant has begun construction of new electric ferries that will be operated by the Moscow Department of Transport and Road Infrastructure Development (Moscow Deptrans).
The new ferries belong to an existing series of vessels, the first examples of which were built by local shipyard Emperium and are already being operated by Moscow Deptrans on the Moskva River.
Each new ferry will have a welded aluminium hull, an LOA of 21 metres, a beam of 6.2 metres, a draught of only 1.4 metres, a displacement of 40 tonnes, and a capacity of 80 passengers.
Two new river ships ordered by Viking Cruises were recently launched in Egypt.
Viking Ptah and Viking Sekhmet belong to the same series as Viking Osiris, Viking Aton, Viking Hathor, Viking Sobek, and Viking Amun. Like their earlier sisters, the two newer ships will be operated on the Nile River.
Upon completion, Viking Ptah and Viking Sekhmet will each have a length of 236 feet (71.9 metres), a beam of 92 feet (28 metres), a gross tonnage of 3,600, 41 outside staterooms distributed across three decks, and a crew complement of 48.
Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) has formally named the newest ship to join its fleet.
The Lloyd's Register-classed, Fincantieri-built Norwegian Luna is the second ship in a series to be ordered by NCL from the same builder. Norwegian Aqua, the first ship in the series, was handed over in 2025.
The newbuild measures 1,056 feet (321.8 metres) in length and has a gross tonnage of over 154,000 and accommodation for 3,571 guests at double occupancy.
South Korean shipbuilder Kangnam Corporation has been commissioned to build a new 80-metre high-speed Ro-Pax catamaran for Korea Express Ferry.
The vessel will operate between Incheon Metropolitan City and the Yellow Sea islands of Daecheongdo, Baengnyeongdo, and Socheongdo in Ongjin County.
This project follows the previous delivery of Korea Pride, a 72-metre passenger ferry that has been in service since 2022. Korea Express Ferry reported that the performance of the earlier vessel supported the decision to replace aging Ro-Pax services on these regional routes.
