MIAMI, Feb. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Carnival
Corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE: CCL; NYSE: CUK), CUK), the world's
largest leisure travel company, today announced that its cruise
joint venture in China has signed
a new memorandum of agreement (MOA) to order the first-ever cruise
ships built in China for the
Chinese market.
Today's agreement updates the terms of an initial shipbuilding
MOA announced in September 2016,
further expanding the cooperation between Carnival Corporation and
China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC), China's flagship company in shipbuilding.
In support of China's larger
efforts to prioritize cruise industry growth in its five-year
economic development plan, the MOA was formalized during an
official signing ceremony held today at the Great Hall of the
People in Beijing, attended by
Chinese President Xi Jinping and Italian President Sergio Mattarella. Representatives of Carnival
Corporation, CSSC and Fincantieri executed the agreement on behalf
of Carnival Corporation's cruise joint venture and the shipbuilding
joint venture, respectively.
As part of the new MOA, Carnival Corporation's cruise joint
venture in China agreed to order
two new cruise ships to be built by a China-based shipbuilding joint venture between
CSSC, the largest shipbuilder in China, and Italy-based Fincantieri S.p.A. The MOA also
gives Carnival Corporation's cruise joint venture the option to
order four additional China-built
cruise ships.
Based on its global expertise as the world's largest and leading
cruise company, Carnival Corporation will operate and manage all
cruise ships owned by the cruise joint venture as part of its plans
to launch the first multi-ship cruise brand in China. The two new ships will be built with a
design tailored for the cruise brand and the specific tastes of
Chinese travelers. Under the agreement, Carnival Corporation will
provide onsite supervision and support during ship construction.
The first of these ships is expected for delivery in 2023.
Carnival Corporation's cruise joint venture – a partnership
announced in 2015 with CSSC in which Carnival Corporation holds a
minority interest – plans to launch a cruise brand in China using ships that are purchased from
Carnival Corporation's existing fleet. Based on today's agreement,
the joint venture would then add new China-built cruise ships starting in 2023 to
further accelerate growth in the Chinese cruise market and serve
increasing demand for cruising from Chinese and Asian
travelers.
"We are proud to order the first China-built cruise ships and play a meaningful
role in developing cruise shipbuilding capabilities for the first
time in China," said Arnold Donald, CEO of Carnival Corporation.
"This represents another important milestone in building a
sustainable and prosperous cruise industry, and demonstrates our
commitment to contributing to China become a leading cruise market as part
of its five-year economic development plan."
"Our cruise joint venture's agreement to order the first-ever
cruise ships built in China and
specifically designed for our cruise brand to serve Chinese guests
is a tremendous opportunity to grow interest and demand for
cruising as part of China's
rapidly expanding tourism market," said Michael Thamm, group CEO, Costa Group
and Carnival Asia. "We are very committed to working closely
with our partners to further develop the Chinese cruise industry
and continue supporting China's
efforts to become one of the leading cruise markets in the world,
which will remain a key driver for cruise growth across
Asia for many years to
come."
"Following the five concepts of innovative, coordinated, green,
open and shared development, CSSC is working closely with
international partners like Carnival Corporation and Fincantieri to
build the first cruise ships in China, which will significantly advance the
rapid, sustainable and healthy development of the Chinese cruise
industry," said Wu Qiang, president of CSSC. "Global economic
integration is still an irresistible trend. Our close partnership
with Carnival Corporation and Fincantieri, with the aim to build
cruises addressing the additional demand from the Chinese and Asian
market, will let more people enjoy the benefits of globalization
and live a better life."
Giuseppe Bono, CEO of
Fincantieri, stated: "Looking at the global scenario means trying
to widen one's boundaries, laying the foundations to further boost
business prospects and access more complex markets. It is not
possible to maintain a competitive presence in the medium and long
term without such a commitment. We therefore believe that today's
agreement is an example of industrial partnership that not only
reaffirms our leadership in the cruise industry, but also creates a
virtuous system among the two countries."
About Carnival Corporation
& plc
Carnival Corporation & plc is the largest
leisure travel company in the world, with a portfolio of 10 cruise
brands in North America,
Europe, Australia and Asia comprised of Carnival Cruise Line,
Fathom, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, Seabourn, AIDA
Cruises, Costa Cruises, Cunard, P&O Cruises (Australia) and P&O Cruises (UK).
Together, these brands operate 102 ships visiting over 700 ports
around the world and totaling 226,000 lower berths with 19 new
ships scheduled to be delivered between 2017 and 2022.
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&P500 and the FTSE 100
indices.
Additional information can be found on www.carnival.com,
www.fathom.org, www.hollandamerica.com, www.princess.com,
www.seabourn.com, www.aida.de, www.costacruise.com, www.cunard.com,
www.pocruises.com.au and www.pocruises.com.
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SOURCE Carnival Corporation & plc