Tourexpi
Fincantieri to Deliver Two Next-Generation AIDA Cruises Ships Set fiscal 2030 and 2032
Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE:
CCL; NYSE: CUK),
the world's largest cruise company, today announced an order for two new ships
for the most popular cruise line in Germany, AIDA Cruises, for a new class
of mid-sized vessel. The agreement with Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri
provides for the design, engineering, and construction of these
multi-fuel-capable ships, which will be delivered in the first quarter of
fiscal years 2030 and 2032, respectively.
"With
approximately 2,100 cabins each, these remarkable new ships give our guests a
completely new class of ship which slot in perfectly between our 1,600 cabin
Hyperion Class vessels and our more than 2,600 cabin Helios Class
vessels," said Felix Eichhorn, President of AIDA Cruises. "Our
next generation of ships will delight our guests with amazing new features and
experiences that we will reveal over time. Its innovative technology with
multi-fuel propulsion systems including LNG will future proof our operations
into the coming decades."
Eichorn
added that once the second ship is delivered, AIDA will have a total of 13
ships in its fleet, further expanding its leadership position in the German
cruise market.
"The
introduction of these next-generation ships, when combined with the AIDA
Evolution program modernizing much of the existing fleet's décor, features and
technologies, will drive even more demand for our AIDA brand, which is
synonymous with cruising in Germany," said Josh Weinstein, chief
executive officer of Carnival Corporation & plc.
According
to Weinstein, with today's order, Carnival Corporation's newbuild pipeline
includes eight new ships scheduled to enter service between now and 2033,
including Star Princess this year and one each from 2027 to 2033. "We're
maintaining our disciplined approach to growth and strategically directing new
capacity to the highest-performing brands in our world-class portfolio like
AIDA Cruises and its sister brand Carnival Cruise Line, which now account for
seven of our eight ships on order. This growth plan will maximize our returns
and allow us to use our strong free cash flow to continue lowering our debt
balance and transferring value from debt holders back to shareholders," he
said.
"We
are honored that our long-standing partner Carnival Corporation has selected
Fincantieri to build ships for AIDA Cruises for the first time in our history.
This milestone confirms our ability to serve the entire Carnival Corporation
portfolio, while ensuring long-term term visibility for our shipyards. These
new ships will embody the most advanced technologies for sustainability and
efficiency, further strengthening Fincantieri's and Carnival Corporation's
roles as leaders in cruise industry innovation," said Pierroberto
Folgiero, CEO, Fincantieri.
Design
details and itinerary information for the new AIDA ships will be announced in
the future.
This
order is contingent upon financing, which is expected to be completed later
this year.
Image
Credit: © AIDA Cruises
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