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Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE:
CCL; NYSE: CUK), the world's largest travel and leisure company, today signed
two strategic memorandums of agreement that will add a total of nine new
cruise ships to the company's industry-leading fleet over a four-year period
from 2019 - 2022. The shipbuilding agreements, which include options for
additional ship builds in the coming years, are subject to several conditions,
including satisfactory financing.
Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri S.p.A and German shipbuilder Meyer Werft will
each build new ships based on Carnival Corporation's next-generation ship
designs, which will produce the most efficient ships in the company's history.
The new ships are expected to serve established cruise markets in North
America and Europe, as well as newer markets, including China. Each new ship
will be specifically designed and developed for the brand and guests it will
serve, and support the company's overall goal of exceeding guest expectations
and further elevating every aspect of the guest experience.
"We're excited to take this next step in our fleet enhancement plan with these
two new agreements that are consistent with our long-term strategy of measured
capacity growth over time," said Arnold Donald, president and CEO of Carnival
Corporation. "Our goal as a company is to exceed the expectations of every
guest on every ship every day, and these new ships will further enable us to
do just that. These will be the most efficient ships we have ever built and
the great guest experience will create even more excitement around cruising –
helping new cruisers realize the superior vacation experience and value that
cruising offers versus land-based vacations."
Fincantieri, the world's largest cruise ship building company, will develop
and construct five ships at its shipyards in Monfalcone and Marghera, Italy.
"I am extremely proud on this truly memorable day for us. Today's announcement
provides us with a long-term strategic prospective, and reinforces the
extraordinary partnership between us and Carnival Corporation, developed over
time thanks to the confidence the group has always shown in us, which we
assure will be once again well placed," said Giuseppe Bono, CEO of
Fincantieri. "This agreement reflects the exceptional business vision of the
world's most important cruise operator, and our readiness and flexibility in
interpreting its demands."
Bono added, "This agreement is the best reward for our hard work over all
these years, and in fact, our organizational, design and production skills
have allowed us to consolidate our market leadership, confirming us at the top
of such an exclusive and complex industry."
Meyer Werft, a leading global shipbuilder founded in Germany in 1795, will
build its four ships at its shipyards in Papenburg, Germany, and Turku,
Finland. Now in its seventh generation of family ownership, Meyer Werft has
become well known for constructing large, modern and sophisticated cruise
ships, including 39 luxury ships the company has built for its customers
around the world.
Bernard Meyer, managing partner of Meyer Werft, said, "We are very happy and
honored that Carnival Corporation trusts our strength to bring this ambitious
newbuilding program to life in Turku and Papenburg."
As part of each company's long-term strategic partnership with Carnival
Corporation, additional new ship orders are being explored over the coming
decade.
Additional information on Carnival Corporation's cruise ship design, and which
of the company's nine leading global brands will add these next-generation
vessels to their fleets will be made available at a later date.
Carnival Corporation's fleet enhancement strategy will add two new ships to
its fleet in 2015 and remove four ships from the fleet. P&O Cruises UK
officially launched Britannia, the largest ship ever designed exclusively for
Britain, in a majestic naming ceremony earlier this month. Later this year,
the AIDA Cruises fleet will welcome AIDAprima, which is expected to be one of
the most technically advanced and sustainable cruise ships ever built.
In addition to these new ships, Carnival Corporation continues to enhance its
guest experience on existing ships. The overall fleet enhancement strategy
combines new ship builds with an ongoing program to further elevate guest
experience across the company's existing fleet and nine brands.
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