Carnival Corporation & plc has ordered a 68,500-ton cruise ship for its AIDA Cruises brand, which caters exclusively to the German-speaking market, marking the third new ship order placed for its German cruise line in the past nine months.

The 2,030-passenger vessel, which will be constructed by Germany’s Meyer Werft shipyard at an all-in cost of €315 million, is scheduled to enter service in April 2008.

It will be a sister ship to AIDA’s two previously announced 68,500-ton cruise ships which will be built at Meyer Werft and are expected to enter service in April 2007 and April 2009.

Like its sister ships, the new vessel will operate under AIDA’s informal “club resort” cruise concept which is aimed at younger, more active vacationers and offers a host of on-board amenities and facilities.

“With an expected passenger base of approximately one million by 2010, the German market is expanding at a very rapid pace. Ordering a third 68,500-ton ‘club resort’ newbuild for AIDA continues our European strategy of developing this fast-growing market by offering cruises with the most exciting, modern ships available for German vacationers,”said Micky Arison, Carnival Corporation & plc chairman and CEO.

AIDA Cruises revolutionized the German cruise market with the introduction of its first club ships in 1996. By 2009, a total of seven club ships will be in service, operating voyages to the Mediterranean, the Canaries, North Sea, the Baltic, the Caribbean and Central America.