Celebrity Cruises began construction on its newest Edge-class ship, Celebrity Xcel in a traditional keel-laying ceremony.
At the ceremony, Jason Liberty, president and CEO of Royal Caribbean Group, the parent company of Celebrity Cruises, Laura Hodges Bethge, President of Celebrity Cruises, and Laurent Castaing, General Manager of Chantiers de l’Atlantique lowered the first 739-ton steel block for the new ship in the dry dock.
As part of the longstanding maritime tradition, executives from the cruise company and the shipyard placed newly minted coins on the first piece of steel – known as a ‘coin ceremony’ to bestow good luck on the ship during both the construction process and future sailings.
Celebrity Cruises revealed the name of the ship last November, when the line took delivery of Celebrity Ascent. Celebrity Xcel will launch in November 2025 in Fort Lauderdale.
‘Today, we not only mark the start of construction, but we are laying the foundation on which countless memories will be created,’ said Jason Liberty, president and CEO, Royal Caribbean Group.
‘Each new ship also represents an opportunity to advance our journey to net zero, and with Xcel, we are building our first methanol capable ship, which helps advance our transition to the energy platform of the future.
The new ship will also be the first to be powered by ‘tri fuel’, allowing the ship to process multiple kinds of fuel including methanol, and so cut down on carbon emissions
