Oceania Cruises and Fincantieri have launched Oceania Sonata at the Marghera shipyard in Italy ahead of the new ship’s scheduled delivery in 2027.

The launch marks the latest construction milestone for the 1,390-passenger vessel, which will become the first ship in Oceania Cruises’ new Sonata class.

The ceremony at Marghera was attended by Paolo Novarino, Senior Director and Project Owner, Oceania Cruises, and Marco Lunardi, Director of the Marghera Shipyard.

Oceania Sonata is being developed as a new-generation evolution of the cruise line’s existing Allura class, which comprises Oceania Vista and Oceania Allura.

Both ships were also constructed by Fincantieri, although at the Italian shipbuilder’s Sestri Ponente facility. Oceania Vista was delivered in 2023, followed by Oceania Allura in 2025.

At 1,390 passengers, Oceania Sonata will offer increased capacity compared with its Allura-class predecessors and will feature larger public spaces as part of the new design.

The ship will also begin a wider expansion of Oceania Cruises’ fleet, with four additional Sonata-class vessels scheduled to follow over the next decade.

The second ship in the series, Oceania Arietta, is due to join the fleet in 2029. Three further sister ships are then scheduled for delivery in 2032, 2035, and 2037.

The five-ship Sonata-class programme extends the longstanding relationship between Fincantieri and Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, Oceania Cruises’ parent company.

Fincantieri has previously constructed several ships for Oceania Cruises and other brands within Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, with the Sonata series set to continue the partnership into the next decade.

The launch of Oceania Sonata also adds to the cruise ship portfolio of Fincantieri’s Marghera facility.

The shipyard has more than a century of industrial history and has constructed 36 cruise ships since 1991.

Following its launch, work on Oceania Sonata will continue ahead of its planned handover to Oceania Cruises in 2027. The vessel will then become the newest addition to the fleet following Oceania Allura, which entered service after its delivery in 2025.

Oceania Cruises’ Sonata class

• Oceania Sonata – 1,390 passengers, delivery in 2027
• Oceania Arietta – delivery in 2029
• Third Sonata-class ship – delivery in 2032
• Fourth Sonata-class ship – delivery in 2035
• Fifth Sonata-class ship – delivery in 2037