MIAMI, Oct. 3, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Carnival
Corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE: CCL; NYSE: CUK), the world's
largest leisure travel company, today signed a framework agreement
with Shell Western LNG B.V. (Shell) to be its supplier of
marine liquefied natural gas (LNG) to power the world's first fully
LNG-powered cruise ships. Under this framework agreement, Shell
will initially supply Carnival Corporation's AIDA Cruises and Costa
Cruises brands with fuel for two new LNG-powered ships expected to
launch in 2019 with itineraries visiting popular northwest European
and Mediterranean ports.
As part of the agreement, these two ships, built with Carnival
Corporation's next-generation "green cruising" ship design,
will utilize Shell's infrastructure in cruise ports to refuel with
LNG throughout their itineraries. The vessels, equipped with
dual-fuel engines, are the first of a new generation of cruise
ships fully powered by LNG both while in port and at sea -- an
industry first and an environmental breakthrough that will improve
air quality with cleaner emissions and produce the most efficient
ships in company history.
"We are committed to reducing our air emissions and improving
air quality by evaluating new and established solutions such as LNG
-- an especially promising option because of its environmental and
other benefits," said Tom Strang,
senior vice president of maritime affairs for Carnival Corporation.
"We are proud to be on the forefront of advancing LNG as a fuel
source for the cruise industry and creating an entirely new model
for powering next-generation cruise ships. We look forward to
a productive partnership with Shell, which has the experience and
shared commitment to quality, safety and operational efficiency
needed to help us bring this innovative LNG initiative to life with
the first fully LNG-powered ships in the global cruise
industry."
Pioneering a new era in the use of alternative fuels that reduce
air emissions, these ships will be the first in the cruise industry
use LNG to generate 100 percent of the ship's power both in port
and on the open sea – an innovation that will significantly improve
air quality to help protect the environment and support Carnival
Corporation's aggressive sustainability goals.
"We have been working closely with Carnival to get to this point
in our commercial partnership," said Lauran Wetemans, Shell's
General Manager Downstream LNG. "Working together from an early
stage is critical in helping the transition to cleaner LNG
cruising. This is a unique partnership that will contribute to a
robust and reliable LNG fuel supply chain, along with opportunities
for future growth."
This agreement builds on the partnership established between
Carnival Corporation's AIDA Cruises brand and Shell in April of
this year to supply its AIDAprima ship with LNG to power the vessel
while docked. The AIDAprima is the first cruise ship in the world
to use LNG while in port, leading to a major reduction in
emissions. Additionally, the agreement furthers the realization of
Carnival Corporation's LNG efforts that began in 2015 with AIDAsol
becoming the first cruise ship in the world to be supplied with
power by an LNG hybrid barge, which also saw major benefits while
in port.
Today's announcement was made on the heels of the company's
order in September of three additional next-generation cruise ships
that will be fully powered by LNG, bringing its fully LNG-powered
ship orders total to seven across four of its 10 global cruise
lines. Two of the new LNG-powered ships are designated for the
world's most popular cruise brand, Carnival Cruise Line, with
delivery dates expected in 2020 and 2022, and one is designated for
P&O Cruises UK with an expected delivery date in 2020. The
remaining two vessels will also be built for the Costa Cruises and
AIDA Cruises brands and are expected to enter service in 2021.
As part of the framework agreement, Carnival Corporation and
Shell have the opportunity to partner together on supplying marine
LNG fuel to future LNG-powered vessels or additional itineraries.
The overarching agreement enables each Carnival Corporation brand
to negotiate individual LNG supply contracts with Shell as new
LNG-powered cruise ships begin to launch in coming years.
About Carnival Corporation & plc
Carnival Corporation & plc is the largest leisure
travel company in the world, with a portfolio of 10 cruise brands
in North
America, Europe, Australia and Asia comprised
of Carnival Cruise Line, Fathom, Holland America
Line, Princess Cruises, Seabourn, AIDA
Cruises, Costa Cruises, Cunard, P&O
Cruises (Australia)
and P&O Cruises (UK).
Together, these brands operate 101 ships visiting over 700 ports
around the world and totaling 225,000 lower berths with 18 new
ships scheduled to be delivered between 2016 and
2022. Carnival Corporation & plc also operates
Holland America Princess Alaska Tours, the leading tour companies
in Alaska and the Canadian Yukon. Traded on both
the New York and London Stock Exchanges, Carnival
Corporation & plc is the only group in the world to be
included in both the S&P500 and the FTSE 100 indices.
Additional information can be found on www.carnival.com,
www.hollandamerica.com, www.seabourn.com, www.aida.de,
www.costacruise.com, www.cunard.com, www.pocruises.com.au,
www.pocruises.com and www.fathom.org.
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SOURCE Carnival Corporation & plc