MIAMI, May 5, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Carnival Corporation
& plc (NYSE/LSE: CCL; NYSE: CUK), the world's largest leisure
travel company, today officially opened its second cruise terminal
at the Port of Barcelona with an
inauguration ceremony attended by government, business and
community representatives. The ceremony included Arnold Donald, CEO of Carnival Corporation;
Julio Gómez-Pomar Rodríguez, secretary of state for
infrastructures, transport and housing for the government of
Spain; Enric Millo, government delegate in Catalonia;
Ricard Font, secretary of
infrastructure and mobility for the government of Catalonia; Agustí
Colom, councilor of tourism, commerce and markets for the Barcelona
City Council; Jose Llorca, chairman
of Puertos del Estado; and Sixte
Cambra, president of the Port of Barcelona.
During the ceremony, the company revealed that Helix cruise
center will be the name of its new 12,500 square meter
state-of-the-art terminal. At over 46
million euros, the Helix terminal and the company's existing
terminal at the port represent Carnival Corporation's largest
combined terminal investment in Europe.
Designed by Catalan
architecture firm Batlle i Roig Arquitectura, the company's newest
cruise terminal reflects modern and graceful architectural style
with straight lines, creating a contemporary and comfortable guest
environment designed to enhance the embarkation and disembarkation
process for cruise guests.
Also making its debut shortly will be the port's first public
parking facility, providing guests embarking on cruises with access
to nearly 300 parking spaces. In addition, the Helix terminal will
accommodate Carnival Corporation's new class of next-generation
"green" cruise ships that will be fully operated by liquefied
natural gas (LNG), the world's cleanest burning fossil fuel.
"After years of working closely with our extraordinary partners
in Barcelona, including the port,
its support network of local businesses and the city, we are
absolutely thrilled to introduce our world-class Helix cruise
center to welcome guests from around the world to Europe's best-loved cruise port and to
Barcelona, one of the world's
greatest cities and regions," said Giora
Israel, senior vice president of global ports and
destination development for Carnival Corporation. "As the world's
largest cruise company with more than 100 ships that sail to over
700 destinations across the globe, our goal is to provide our
guests with extraordinary vacations, and we are confident that our
new terminal will help us enhance the overall experience for our
guests. The terminal stands as a tribute to the remarkable appeal
of Barcelona and the entire
country as one of the world's most beautiful, vibrant and
compelling destinations. We are proud of the work that has been
accomplished together with the port, city, government, business and
community. We now look forward to working with the port of
Barcelona and its community
partners to make the cruise terminal a highly efficient and
customer-friendly operation."
"We have a long history of working with Carnival Corporation and
its cruise line brands," said Cambra, president of Port of
Barcelona. "We appreciate their
strong commitment to our great port, city and region, and we are
excited about the new Helix cruise center, which is already earning
rave reviews as one of the world's most spectacular cruise
terminals. We appreciated the opportunity to work closely with
Carnival Corporation. In every aspect, and particularly in its
innovative and sustainable approach, this is a world-class cruise
terminal that further enhances our reputation as one of the best
ports in the world."
"In a city and region known for its inspiring and beautiful
architecture, it is exciting to have Carnival Corporation's
stunning Helix cruise center grace the Port of Barcelona as our newest landmark," said Font,
secretary of infrastructure and mobility for the government of
Catalonia. "We appreciate Carnival Corporation having such a
positive impact on our local economy and employment and for making
such a significant investment in our region – the company's
commitment underscores our shared enthusiasm that Barcelona will always be one of the top
destinations in the world."
"Barcelona needs operators
strongly committed to its visitors, but also to the
city," said Colom, councilor of tourism, commerce and markets
for the Barcelona City Council. "We need operators with
whom we can work side by side to improve the
sustainability and the social return that tourist activity
generates in the city, reducing to the maximum its
externalities. We are already collaborating with the port
and the Cruise Line Industry Association (CLIA) in this
direction, and it will be essential to also have the active
involvement of important cruise line operators, such as
Carnival Corporation, who have clearly opted for
Barcelona, to have a port for the
city, more straightforward, open and much more citizen."
The Helix cruise center, located on the port's Adossat wharf, is
a tribute to extraordinary local expertise, talent and vision, as
Carnival Corporation teamed with local officials and companies to
design and build one of the world's most spectacular and functional
cruise terminals.
Eight brands from Carnival Corporation – AIDA Cruises, Carnival
Cruise Line, Costa Cruises, Cunard, Holland America Line, Princess
Cruises, Seabourn and P&O Cruises (UK) – visit Barcelona throughout the year, with six of
those eight brands operating full or partial homeporting in
Barcelona in 2018. Carnival
Corporation is expecting to accommodate over one million passenger
movements at the port in 2018, with 289 calls by 38 different
ships.
Carnival Corporation guests who visit Catalonia can take
advantage of a variety of excursions, such as strolling the Girona
historic quarter or visiting the multi-peaked rocky range of
Montserrat and its Benedictine
abbey, and exploring attractions within or around Barcelona, such as Gaudí Crypt in Sant Boi de
Llobregat or Poble Nou and its beaches.
Carnival Corporation, Port of Barcelona Team Up for Improving
Air Quality
Carnival Corporation's deployment of LNG-fueled
ships to the port supports the pioneering Air Quality Improvement
Plan proposed by the Port of Barcelona in November
2016 to effectively reduce emissions from port activities.
Last year, Barcelona became the
first cruise port in the Mediterranean with facilities to supply
cruise ships with LNG. In total, Carnival Corporation currently has
agreements in place to build nine fully LNG-powered cruise ships
across four of its nine global cruise brands in coming years.
In addition to its ships that will pioneer the use of LNG, the
company has been an industry leader with another environmental
technology breakthrough, making exhaust gas cleaning systems (EGCS)
highly functional in the small confines of a cruise ship. Currently
Carnival Corporation has more than 60 percent of its fleet
outfitted with the systems, which significantly improve air
emissions by reducing sulfur compounds and particulate matter from
exhaust. Further, about 40 percent of the fleet was equipped with
cold ironing capabilities by the end of 2017, enabling ships to use
an alternative power source in port where available.
Cruise Industry's Positive Economic Impact Extends to Local
Jobs and Spending
The construction of Carnival
Corporation's second cruise terminal at the Port of Barcelona secured local employment for up to
150 people through its work with local contractor companies Vopi 4
S.A., Elecnor S.A., Project Facilities Management SL and their
subcontractors, as well as gangway manufacturer Adelte S.A.;
specialist seat manufacturer Figueras International Seating, which
designed a new bench specially for the terminal; and the existing
team of local architect and engineering firms Batlle i Roig
Arquitectura, Static Engineering and PGI Engineering.
The Port of Barcelona was
recognized as the best global turnaround port by the trade magazine
Cruise Insight – a distinction it has received several times in
recent years. More than half of cruise passengers visiting the Port
of Barcelona begin and end their
journey there, which is a major economic benefit for Catalonia and
the city. According to a 2016 study from the University of Barcelona, cruise passengers who
begin or end their cruise vacation in Barcelona on average spend 2.8 days in the
city before or after their trip and spend around 230 euros per day.
According to the updated study, cruise activity at the Port of
Barcelona generates an annual
turnover of 790 million euros in
Barcelona, contributing
411 million euros to the gross
domestic product (GDP) of Barcelona. The study also shows that cruise
activity at the port generates 6,809 jobs and has other positive
effects on the local economy such as the increase of activity at
Aeroport del Prat. The company's positive economic impact will
increase with the launch of Carnival Corporation's Helix cruise
center.
Carnival Corporation operates five additional global ports,
including Amber Cove in the
Dominican Republic; Puerta Maya in Cozumel, Mexico; Grand Turk Cruise Center in
Turks and Caicos Islands; Mahogany
Bay in Roatan, Honduras; and
Long Beach in California. Carnival Corporation also operates
two private island destinations in the Caribbean, Princess Cays and Half Moon Cay. In
total, Carnival Corporation cruise ships visit over 700 ports of
call around the world.
About Carnival Corporation & plc
Carnival
Corporation & plc is the world's largest leisure travel company
and among the most profitable and financially strong in the cruise
and vacation industries, with a portfolio of 10 dynamic brands that
include nine of the world's leading cruise lines. With operations
in North America, Australia, Europe and Asia, its portfolio features Carnival Cruise
Line, Princess Cruises, Holland America Line, Seabourn, P&O
Cruises (Australia), Costa
Cruises, AIDA Cruises, P&O Cruises (UK) and Cunard, as well as
Fathom, the corporation's immersion and enrichment experience
brand.
Together, the corporation's cruise lines operate 103 ships with
234,000 lower berths visiting over 700 ports around the world, with
19 new ships scheduled to be delivered between 2018 and 2023.
Carnival Corporation & plc also operates Holland America
Princess Alaska Tours, the leading tour company 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&P 500 and the FTSE 100
indices.
In 2017, Fast Company recognized Carnival
Corporation as being among the "Top 10 Most Innovative
Companies" in both the design and travel
categories. Fast Company specifically recognized
Carnival Corporation for its work in developing Ocean Medallion™, a
high-tech wearable device that enables the world's first
interactive guest experience platform capable of transforming
vacation travel into a highly personalized and elevated level of
customized service.
Additional information can be found on www.carnival.com,
www.hollandamerica.com, www.princess.com,
www.seabourn.com, www.aida.de, www.costacruise.com,
www.cunard.com, www.pocruises.com.au, www.pocruises.com,
and www.fathom.org.
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SOURCE Carnival Corporation & plc