New orders placed with Meyer Werft and Fincantieri.
Carnival Corporation has just confirmed the signing of two “strategic memorandums of agreement” which will add a total of nine new cruise ships to its fleet over the period from 2019-2022.
The agreements, which are subject to several conditions including financing, will also include options for additional newbuilds in the coming years. Carnival hasn’t specified what brands the new vessels would operate under, but said the ships “are expected to serve established cruise markets in North America and Europe, as well as newer markets, including China”.
CEO Arnold Donald said the next step in the fleet enhancement plan is “consistent with our long term strategy of measured capacity growth over time,” saying the newbuilds would be “the most efficient ships we have ever built”.
He said additional information on the ship design and which of the company’s nine brands the newbuilds would operate will be made available at a later date.
Five vessels will be constructed by Fincantieri in Italy, while Meyer Werft will build its four ships in Papenburg, Germany and Turku, Finland.
More information in today’s issue of Travel Daily and in Cruise Weekly next week.