Carnival Corp. to add 4 ships
Plans to launch 17 by 2020
Global cruise line Carnival Corp. & PLC on Wednesday announced it signed a memo of agreement with Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri S.p.A. to build four new cruise ships, bringing the total number of new ships Carnival plans to launch by 2020 to 17.
Two of the newly announced ships will be built for Carnival’s Costa Asia unit and will be designed specifically for the Chinese market. Two other Carnival brands, P&O Cruises Australia and Princess Cruises, will each get a ship designed for their respective brand and the markets they serve, Carnival said in a news release.
The four new ships will be built in Fincantieri’s shipyards in Monfalcone and Marghera, Italy. Delivery is expected in 2019 and 2020.
“These ships will be great additions to our fleet that support our goal to exceed guest expectations and create great vacation memories for each guest onboard our ships,” said Arnold Donald, the cruise company’s CEO.
The new vessels are part of Carnival’s growth strategy that includes replacing less-efficient ships with newer, larger and more-efficient vessels over a specific period of time, Donald noted.
The Costa and P&O cruise ships will carry 4,200 passengers, while the Princess ship will accommodate 3,560 people, Carnival said.
The Princess ship will be its fourth Royal Princessclass vessel, joining sister ships Regal Princess and Royal Princess, which currently sail from Port Everglades on Caribbean cruises. Majestic Princess is set for delivery in 2017 and will sail in China.
In March, Carnival announced its intent to contract Fincantieri and German shipbuilder Meyer Werft to build up to nine new ships for delivery between 2019 and 2022.
In June, the cruise company confirmed a multibillion dollar agreement with Meyer for four new 6,600-passenger ships powered by liquefied natural gas, the cleanest-burning fossil fuel. Two of the ships were earmarked for Carnival’s Italian unit Costa Cruises, and two for its German line AIDA Cruises.
Total cost of the latest order was not released Wednesday.
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