In an agreement with Fincantieri shipyard, Carnival Corporation announced this morning that they’ll be adding two new ships to their fleet in the next few years.
Carnival Cruise Lines will add a 4,000-guest 135,000-ton ship in winter of 2016 while sister line Holland America will add a 99,000-ton 2,660-guest ship due out Fall 2015.
“Today’s order continues the company’s strategy of introducing two to three ships per year across the corporation’s 10 brands. We have strategically timed the introduction of these new ships to allow ample time for those brands to further grow their passenger base and absorb the new capacity, while minimizing revenue yield dilution in the remainder of their existing fleets,” said Micky Arison, chairman and CEO of Carnival Corporation.
Giuseppe Bono, CEO of Fincantieri, said, “These additional orders bring the total number of ships we have built for Carnival Corporation & plc to 61 and confirm Fincantieri’s world leadership in the cruise ship sector even at a time of slowing demand.” Bono added, “We view these orders as a very positive development for the Italian economy and the global cruise industry.”
Carnival Cruise Line currently operates 24 ships, while Holland America Line operates 15.
Article re-printed with permission by Doug Parker of Cruise Radio – Oct 2012