New Cruise Ship Ordered…from Libya?

Yes, that’s right. Libya just ordered a cruise ship. The Libyan National Company for Maritime Transport, GNMTC, just signed a letter of intent to build one ship at STX France in Saint Nazaire. The ship, to be completed by December 2012, will come in at around 140,000 grt. That puts it at around a class vessel that will be built. Early speculation has it that this unnamed ship will be similar in design to the MSC vessels, although slightly larger. Max occupancy is said to be 4,000 in 1,700 cabins.

This is GNMTC’s first plunge in the messenger trade. They currently own 24 liquid bulk tankers that only sail in the crude oil trade. The government led company has $1 billion cash on hand so financing will not be a problem.