Carnival has exercised an option for a new 92,700-ton cruise ship for Italian cruise operator Costa Cruises. Additionally, the company has extended the option for a previously announced 86,000-ton ship for…
Carnival has exercised an option for a new 92,700-ton cruise ship for Italian cruise operator Costa Cruises. Additionally, the company has extended the option for a previously announced 86,000-ton ship for Holland America Line.
The new Costa ship, which is scheduled for delivery in March 2010, will have 2,260 lower passenger berths and will be built by Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri at its Marghera shipyard at an all-in cost of approximately €420 million. It will be a sister ship to a previously announced 92,700-ton Costa vessel which is scheduled to enter service in spring 2009.
Costa has four new ships on order with a combined capacity of 10,520 lower berths. Once those vessels are introduced, the Costa fleet will have a total of 15 ships.
“Europe is one of the world’s fastest growing cruising areas and Costa is the region’s preeminent cruise operator. Continuing to invest in new ship construction will enable Costa to maintain its leadership position within the region while providing new and innovative on-board facilities and features for its guests,” said Micky Arison, Carnival Corporation & plc chairman and CEO.
Added Pier Luigi Foschi, chairman and CEO of Costa Cruises, “With this new ship order, Costa reaffirms its long-term successful association with Fincantieri and its continued role in the development of the Italian economy. We expect this new ship to be highly popular with its many innovative facilities, including a double-deck-high magradome, Samsara spa, Samsara on-board life style concept and other state-of-the-art features.”
Carnival is also extending the option for a new 2,044-passenger Holland America Line ship which, if the option is exercised, would be built by Fincantieri and enter service in late 2010. The 86,000-ton Panamax vessel would be the second in the line’s new Signature class. The first in the series, the Eurodam, will be delivered in June 2008.
With the addition of the new Costa ship, Carnival Corporation & plc has 18 new ships on order, 12 of which are being built by Fincantieri.
Giuseppe Bono, chief executive officer of Fincantieri, added, “This new order, which is a further endorsement of our role as reference builder for the Carnival group and our position as the sector’s world leader, marks for both Costa and ourselves the successes of the past and the important achievements which we shall reach together.” He added, “This order, which extends our shipyards’ workload until 2010, confirms once again that our company can rely on a sound financial framework.”
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
