P&O to build new cruise ship

Carnival Corp., the world’s largest cruise operator, will build a new ship for its P&O Cruises brand at an estimated all-in cost of $705 million, delaying delivery of a previously announced vessel by a year. Fincantieri, Italy’s state- owned shipbuilder, is constructing the 116,000 gt ship at its Monfalcone yard. The newbuilding will have 3,076 lower passenger berths and is scheduled to be completed by 2010. Externally, the vessel will be similar to P&O Cruises Ventura, which is scheduled to enter service in spring 2008, but the new product features and interior design will be announced at a future date.

The building slot at Fincantieri being utilized for this new P&O Cruises vessel will result in a modification to the delivery date of the 130,000 gt newbuild for Carnival Cruise Lines announced in mid-December 2006. The Carnival vessel will now enter service in spring 2011 instead of summer 2010 as previously announced. ” It had been our intention all along to schedule delivery of the P&O Cruises ship for 2010 and the Carnival Cruise Lines vessel for 2011,” Chairman and ceo Micky Arison said.

This latest ship order will bring the total number of vessels in the P&O Cruises fleet to seven, including five existing ships, as well as the new Ventura, which will be Britain?s largest cruise ship when it enters service in April 2008. The new ship will further enhance P&O Cruises? reputation as the only company building cruise ships specifically for Britain.

P&O Cruises Managing Director David Dingle stated, “This latest order results from the strong continuing growth of the cruise market in the UK. Each of the new ships which we have built for Britain has increased the demand for cruising through a reputation for innovation, style and customer service. Our projections indicate that we will require further new capacity to meet this additional demand by 2010.”

With this new order Carnival Corporation has 20 new ships on order, 14 of which are being constructed by Fincantieri.