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Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE: CCL; NYSE: CUK) today announced it has
reached an agreement for the construction of two new cruise ships – a 99,000-ton
ship for its Holland America Line brand and a 135,000-ton vessel for its
Carnival Cruise Lines brand.
A memorandum of agreement has been signed with
Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri for the
construction of a 2,660-passenger ship for Holland America Line scheduled for
delivery in fall 2015 and a 4,000-passenger ship for Carnival Cruise Lines
scheduled for delivery in winter 2016.
The total cost for the two vessels combined, which includes the U.S. dollar
denominated contract price and all owner’s costs, will be approximately $195,000
per lower berth. The memorandum of agreement is subject to customary closing
conditions, including execution of shipbuilding contracts and financing.
The Holland America ship, which will be a new class of vessel for the line, will
enter service five years after the last Holland America ship, the ms Nieuw
Amsterdam, delivered in 2010.
The Carnival Cruise Lines vessel, also a new class of ship, will be launched
four years after the introduction of Carnival Breeze, which debuted in spring
2012.
The timing of capacity additions for these brands is similar to the five year
span between upcoming new ship introductions for both Princess Cruises and P&O
Cruises (UK), as previously announced.
“Today’s order continues the company’s strategy of introducing two to three
ships per year across the corporation’s 10 brands. We have strategically timed
the introduction of these new ships to allow ample time for those brands to
further grow their passenger base and absorb the new capacity while minimizing
revenue yield dilution in the remainder of their existing fleets,” said Micky
Arison, chairman and CEO of Carnival Corporation & plc.
 Including
the newbuilds announced today, Carnival Corporation & plc currently has nine new
ships scheduled for delivery – two for 2013, two for 2014, three for 2015 and
two for 2016. Arison also noted that the addition of new tonnage is expected, to
some extent, to replace existing capacity reductions
from possible sales of older ships.
The memorandum of agreement with Fincantieri continues the company’s
longstanding and successful relationship with the Italian shipbuilder, which
dates back more than 20 years.
Giuseppe Bono, CEO of Fincantieri, said, “These additional orders bring
the total number of ships we have built for Carnival Corporation & plc to 61 and
confirm Fincantieri’s world leadership in the cruise ship sector even at a time
of slowing demand.” Bono added, “We view these orders as a very positive
development for the Italian economy and the global cruise industry.” |
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Worldwide Travel & Cruise Assoc., Inc.
150 S. University Dr. Ste E,
Plantation, FL 33324 - USA
Tel: +1 954 452 8800 Fax: +1 954
252 3945
EMail:
sales@cruiseco.com |
