After a year in which cruise lines were scrapping ships rather than ordering new ones, a deal to build a 744-passenger cruise ship is a sign of optimism that the pandemic lockdown will ultimately become a distant memory.

Japan’s NYK Group has signed the first contract to build a new ship since the COVID-19 outbreak began. While the luxury ship to be built by Germany’s Meyer Group is aimed at the Asian market, industry watchers are calling it a turning point after other major lines have delayed plans for new ships.

Read it all in The Cruisington Times