GE Marine Engines announced that its LM2500+ aeroderivative gas turbines would be used in Combined Diesel And Gas (CODAG) turbine configurations on four Grand Princess-class cruise ships currently on order from Princess Cruises. One LM2500+ gas turbine will be used on each vessel in conjunction with medium-speed diesel engine-driven alternators.

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. (MHI) will construct two 113,000-ton cruise ships at its Nagasaki, Japan shipyard. Each ship will use four diesel engine-drive alternators. Chantiers de l’Atlantique will build two 88,000-ton vessels at its facilities in Saint Nazaire, France, each of which will use two diesel engine-driven alternators.

The Mitsubishi-constructed vessels are the largest cruise ships ever ordered by Princess and the first to be commissioned from MHI. The diesel and gas turbine propulsion arrangement employs environmentally sound technology. At the same time, this design incorporates better space usage through installation of the gas turbine in the funnel area of the ships, thereby enabling an even wider range of public rooms and onboard facilities to be introduced.

Currently over 1,000 LM2500 gas turbines have been delivered for service on a variety of cruisers, frigates, destroyers and patrol boats for more than 26 international navies.