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Carnival Corporation & plc today finalized its
land purchase for its new CSMART facility in Almere, Netherlands,
marking the official start of development for its state-of-the-art training
facility that will serve 6,500 deck and technical officers from all nine of its
global cruise brands each year.
The centerpiece of the new campus will be a new and three-times-larger Center
for Simulator Maritime Training (CSMART), Carnival Corporation's world-class
maritime training, professional development and research facility, already
operating in Almere.
Carnival worked with Dutch property group AMVEST Vastgoed B.V. in the
Netherlands to purchase the seven-acre property along the coast in DUIN, a
planned business and residential community in Almere, one of Europe's newest and
fastest growing cities, conveniently located on the outskirts of Amsterdam and
Amsterdam Airport Schiphol.
The new CSMART facility, expected to open in 2016, will continue to be a key to
Carnival Corporation as the company works to enhance, expand and streamline its
global training efforts across all nine of its cruise brands. The courses
provided by Carnival at both the original and new facilities set a higher
standard for training in the cruising industry that exceeds industry
regulations. As the world's largest cruise company, the corporation has
recognized the importance of ensuring training resources keep up with both the
growth of the business and advancements in cruise ship technology.
"Carnival has established a world-class center for maritime training and
research featuring the latest innovations in technology, and expanding our
facility and capabilities underscores the company's top priority -- consistently
exceeding our guests' expectations by providing great vacations and memories,"
said David Christie, senior vice president of maritime quality assurance for
Carnival Corporation. "We are eager to begin building our new center in a city
that has been a wonderful home for CSMART and in a development that provides a
great setting for our deck and technical officers."
"Having Carnival Corporation continue to maintain its presence in our city and
make a significant investment here is a great vote of confidence from a major
global enterprise that we believe will help spur development for Almere, which
is already one of the fastest growing cities in Europe," said Almere Alderman
Henk Mulder. "This is exciting news not just for Almere, but the entire region
and country."
"Carnival's training center will seamlessly fit into AMVEST's development plans
for our 250-acre DUIN project on Almere's lake shore," said AMVEST Vastgoed B.V.
CEO Wienke Bodewes, "The center will be the first anchor in our development
which will feature dunes and beaches, a marina and a boulevard, homes,
apartments, shops and offices – all of which complement a maritime enterprise
like Carnival and will serve as great resources for visitors to the CSMART
training campus."
The new and expanded facility will build on the positive economic impact
continuing to be made by Carnival Corporation in Almere and the Netherlands by
the original facility, which was opened in 2009. The center being built in DUIN
and the original facility are the product of Carnival Corporation's $50 million
investment in CSMART, supporting the company's commitment to providing
industry-leading training for its deck and technical officers. The center is
expected to employ up to 52 individuals. As more Carnival representatives come
to the expanded center than ever before, significant revenue and commerce will
be generated for businesses and people in the area, including Amsterdam Airport
Schiphol, transportation services, food suppliers and others.
Carnival Corporation made the decision to bring the original center to Almere
for several reasons, including its location near Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, a
modern international airport that serves as one of the key hubs in Europe, the
long tradition of maritime excellence in the Netherlands and the reputation of
the region as a welcoming place to do business. These reasons paired with the
current success of the original facility helped the company make the decision to
also develop its new facility in Almere.
The current CSMART facility features the most advanced equipment and
instructional tools available for captains, officers and engineers – this
technology will also be incorporated into the new center on a larger scale with
even more advanced additions. Four full mission bridge simulators including
bridge wings, four engine room simulators, nine smaller part task simulators and
the industry's first fully equipped training safety center will provide
participants with a superior maritime training experience.
Construction on the facility is expected to begin in 2015. |
