New Whale Tail Funnel: Carnival Freedom Concludes Marseille Drydock

By Larry D. Moore, CC BY 4.0, Link
Carnival Freedom is finally back in her signature style: At the Forme 10 drydock of Chantier Naval de Marseille, the newly engineered "whale tail" funnel assembly was installed in September 2026. The 110,000 GT vessel had been operating for nearly two and a half years with a temporary, cylindrical exhaust stack. This interim measure followed two major incidents: an initial funnel fire on the starboard side in May 2022 and a lightning strike in March 2024 off the Bahamas that severely damaged the port side.

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The newly installed module is an optimized structural update rather than a simple replica. It features a lower, more compact profile seated directly above the deckhouse, noticeably reducing wind leverage and bending stress during severe weather. Aerodynamically, the wings continue to function as inverted airfoils, generating low pressure behind the exhaust outlets to channel emissions safely away from open sun decks.

In addition to the funnel reconstruction, Carnival Cruise Line utilized the 38-day drydock for comprehensive technical overhauls and hotel upgrades. Work included hull hydro-blasting with fresh antifouling paint, along with servicing the fixed-pitch propellers, twin rudders, three bow thrusters, and fin stabilizers. The ship's bow was also fitted with the new fleet emblem reading "From Sea to Shining Sea," while staterooms, carpeting, the casino, and the Lido buffet received extensive refurbishments.

Drydock operations conclude on October 8, 2026. The vessel resumes guest operations on October 9 with a Western Mediterranean itinerary departing from Barcelona. Following a transatlantic repositioning crossing, Carnival Freedom will operate short Bahamas cruises out of Port Canaveral beginning November 2026, ahead of its year-round homeport deployment to Norfolk, Virginia, in 2027.