Carnival Corporation has signed a deal with London-headquartered Silverstream Technologies to install air lubrication systems on three 230,000-gt LNG-powered cruise newbuilds at Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri, according to Silverstream Technologies.
The Ace-class trio will be the largest ships in Carnival Corporation’s fleet and the largest ever built by Fincantieri. Each will have more than 3,000 guest staterooms and capacity for almost 8,000 passengers at full occupancy.
The first vessel, Carnival Destiny, is scheduled to enter service in summer 2029, followed by sister ships in 2031 and 2033. Construction began with first steel cutting at Fincantieri’s Monfalcone yard in Italy on 10 July 2026.
The contract takes Silverstream installations and orders across Carnival to 18 ships, comprising 13 vessels in service and five newbuilds — two Excel-class ships and the three Ace-class units.
The systems have accumulated more than 127,000 operating hours across the fleet. Silverstream’s technology creates a layer of microbubbles beneath a ship’s hull to reduce frictional resistance and propulsion energy requirements.
The company says the system can deliver net fuel and emissions savings of 5% to 10%, depending on vessel type. No ship-specific savings target has been disclosed for the three Ace-class vessels.
The deal follows Carnival’s January 2025 decision to install Silverstream systems on two Excel-class newbuilds at German shipbuilder Meyer Werft.
Silverstream Technologies is a maritime clean-technology company founded in 2010 and led by founder and chief executive Noah Silberschmidt. Its patented system is used on cruise ships, containerships, gas carriers, ro-ro vessels, PCTCs and bulk carriers. More than 150 vessels equipped with the technology are in service, and the company works with 20 major shipyards worldwide.
Carnival Corporation operates more than 90 ships across its cruise brands, visiting more than 800 ports and destinations worldwide. Carnival Cruise Line is one of its brands.
Fincantieri is an Italian shipbuilder that has delivered 76 vessels across Carnival Corporation’s brands, including 15 for Carnival Cruise Line. Meyer Werft is a German shipbuilder.