MIAMI, July 28, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Carnival
Corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE: CCL; NYSE: CUK), the world's
largest travel and leisure company, today announced that its
Italian brand, Costa Cruises, will build two new cruise ships as
part of an agreement with Meyer
Werft to construct four next-generation cruise ships with
the largest guest capacity in the world. In June, Carnival
Corporation announced the other two ships included in this
multi-billion dollar contract are destined for its German brand,
AIDA Cruises.
The two new ships for Costa Cruises will be built by shipbuilder
Meyer Werft at the company's
shipyard in Turku, Finland, with
deliveries expected in 2019 and 2020. Each new cruise ship will
exceed 180,000 gross tons, offering more than 2,600 passenger
cabins and 5,200 lower berths to comfortably accommodate a total
capacity of 6,600 guests. A major part of Carnival Corporation's
new ship design involves making more efficient use of the ship's
spaces, which includes multi-functional common areas and plans for
more personal space, creating an enhanced onboard guest
experience.
Carnival Corporation's four next-generation cruise ships for
Costa Cruises and AIDA Cruises will be the first in the industry to
be powered at sea by Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), the world's
cleanest burning fossil fuel, representing a major environmental
breakthrough. Pioneering a new era in the use of sustainable fuels,
these new ships will use LNG to generate 100 percent of the ship's
power both in port and on the open sea – an industry-first
innovation that will significantly reduce exhaust emissions to help
protect the environment and support the company's aggressive
sustainability goals.
The four-ship contract with Meyer
Werft is part of a larger previously announced strategic
memo of understanding with leading shipbuilders Meyer Werft and Fincantieri S.p.A for nine new
ship orders between 2019 and 2022. As previously announced,
construction of the two new ships for AIDA Cruises will take place
at Meyer Werft's shipbuilding facility in Papenburg, Germany.
"These new ships will be phenomenal additions to our fleet, and
we're looking forward to seeing our Costa and AIDA brands bring
this ground-breaking new ship design to life for our guests in a
way that is customized for each brand," said Arnold Donald, CEO of Carnival Corporation. "As
we continue enhancing our fleet, it is very important to us that
every decision we make in the development of these new ships is
about the guest experience, which supports our goal to exceed guest
expectations and create great vacation memories for every person
who boards one of our ships."
Donald added: "Above all, these strategic investments are
designed to exceed the vacation needs of our guests, but it is also
important to note that these next-generation ships are an important
part of our measured growth strategy, which includes replacing less
efficient ships with newer, larger and more efficient vessels over
a very specific period of time."
The new Costa Cruises ships will prominently feature the brand's
"Italy's finest" experience, with
the new ship designs and creative uses of space serving to enhance
the overall onboard immersion in Italian culture. The ships and
crew will serve as ambassadors for the finest of Italian society on
the seas, enabling guests to discover Italy's unique style, hospitality,
entertainment and culinary excellence.
The new contract also supports the community-focused efforts of
Carnival Corporation and Costa Cruises to invest in Italy as a key market in which the company
operates. According to forecasts from Costa Cruises, more than 650
crewmembers are expected to be hired to work on the two new
ships.
"We are honored that Carnival Corporation has entrusted us with
the implementation of this ambitious shipbuilding program," said
Bernard Meyer, CEO of Meyer Werft. "These ships represent the next
generation of cruise ship innovation, featuring a revolutionary
'green cruising' design implemented to meet the specific needs of
guests who sail with the Costa and AIDA brands."
The new ship order will also enable the Costa Group, which
includes a combined 25 ships across the AIDA and Costa brands, to
continue to build on its leadership position in the European cruise
market. In 2014, one out of every two cruise guests in Europe, or about 50 percent, sailed onboard a
Costa or AIDA cruise ship. In total, the Costa Group has 27,000
employees working onboard its ships and in its 20 offices in 14
countries, serving a total capacity of 68,000 beds across its
fleet.
About Carnival Corporation & plc
Carnival
Corporation & plc is the largest cruise company in the world,
with a portfolio of 10 cruise brands in North America, Europe, Australia and Asia, comprised of Carnival Cruise Lines,
Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, Seabourn, AIDA Cruises,
Costa Cruises, Cunard, P&O Cruises (Australia), P&O Cruises (UK) and
fathom.
Together, these brands will operate 100 ships in 2015 totaling
219,000 lower berths with eight new ships scheduled to be delivered
between 2016 and 2018. 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&P 500 and the
FTSE 100 indices.
Additional information can be found on www.carnival.com,
www.hollandamerica.com, www.princess.com, www.seabourn.com,
www.aida.de, www.costacruise.com, www.cunard.com,
www.pocruises.com.au, www.pocruises.com and www.fathom.org.
About Costa Crociere S.p.A.
Costa Crociere S.p.A. is
the leading cruise company in Europe. The 25 ships of the brands Costa
Crociere, AIDA Cruises and Costa Asia together have a total
capacity of 68,000 beds. The fleet will be further strengthened by
two new vessels with a total of 8,700 beds by 2016. The company has
a global workforce of 27,000 employees working onboard and in its
20 offices in 14 countries.
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SOURCE Carnival Corporation & plc