The Star Princess, Princess Cruises' second liquefied natural gas (LNG) powered ship, was floated out today at the Fincantieri shipyard in Monfalcone, Italy. Weighing in at 178,000 gross tons, this vessel is a sister ship to the Sun Princess, which was also built at Monfalcone and delivered earlier this year. This makes the Star Princess the second-largest ship ever constructed in Italy, as well as the second LNG-powered cruise ship built by Fincantieri for Princess Cruises.

This new ship will be the second dual-fuel vessel in the Princess Cruises fleet, primarily powered by LNG. It's part of the Sphere class of ships, with delivery expected in the fall of 2025. Once completed, the Star Princess will accommodate approximately 4,300 guests and feature a next-generation design platform.

At the float-out ceremony, officials from both the shipyard and Princess Cruises were in attendance, including John Padgett, president of Princess Cruises, and Cristiano Bazzara, the shipyard director at Fincantieri. 

Two Fincantieri and Princess Cruises employees served as godmothers of the event: Chiara del Vecchio, a 3rd Engineer currently serving on the Sun Princess, and Francesca Maraventano, an executive assistant at the Monfalcone shipyard.