Carnival Corporation & plc announced it has reached an agreement with…
Carnival Corporation & plc announced it has reached an agreement with Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri for the construction of four new cruise ships.
The agreement calls for the construction of four new vessels, one each for Holland America Line, Carnival Cruise Lines, Princess Cruises and Costa Crociere, along with options for two additional vessels, one each for Carnival Cruise Lines and Holland America Line.
The four new ships will add a collective 11,756 lower berths to the cruise operator’s fleet. Two of the orders have been placed in U.S. dollars and two others are in euros.
According to Carnival Corporation & plc Chairman and CEO Micky Arison, the agreement extends Carnival Corporation & plc’s newbuilding program through 2009 while enabling the company to execute its strategy of expanding its North American and European brands.
“Fincantieri constructs some of the world’s most beautiful and technically advanced ships and this agreement enables us to expand our core North American and European brands at very competitive prices considering today’s unfavorable U.S. dollar/euro ratio,” he said.
The new ships and options include:
- A 2,044-passenger ship which will be the North American premium operator for Holland America Line. The ship is expected to enter service in summer 2008. There is also an option for a sister ship scheduled to debut in spring 2010
- A 3,100-passenger ship for North American premium brand Princess Cruises set to debut in fall 2008
- A 3,608-passenger cruise ship for Carnival Cruise Lines to be built at Fincantieri’s Monfalcone shipyard is expected to enter service in fall 2009. There is also an option for a sister ship scheduled to enter service in summer 2010
- A 3,004-passenger ship for Genoa, Italy-based Costa Crociere expected to debut in summer 2009
Including the four new vessels, Carnival Corporation & plc’s capacity growth for 2008 and 2009 is now expected to be 8.2 percent and 6.4 percent, respectively. The company’s order book now includes 16 new ships, 13 of which are being constructed by Fincantieri.
Commented Fincantieri Chief Executive Officer Giuseppe Bono, “This agreement further demonstrates the excellent working relationship that exists between industry leaders Carnival Corporation & plc and Fincantieri. Carnival Corporation & plc operates some of the world’s most successful and recognizable cruise brands and we are delighted that the company has entrusted Fincantieri with nearly all of its newbuilding projects.”
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