Fincantieri Lands $600M Holland America Dual Ship Order

Carnival Corporation announced that it had reached an agreement with Fincantieri Cantieri Navali Italiani, S.p.A. for the construction of two cruise ships for its Holland America Line (HAL) subsidiary at a combined cost of approximately $600 million. Both ships are expected for delivery in 1999, one early and the other late in the year. Estimated at 65,000 gt with a capacity of 1,440 passengers, the two new vessels will reportedly be 20 percent larger than HAL's Statendam class ships, which have been introduced over the last three years. With a maximum speed of 23 knots, the vessels will have higher than average speed but will be slower than the 25-knot of Rotterdam VI, currently under construction at Fincantieri. Kirk Lanterman, HAL's president and CEO pointed out that the two newest ships represent a new generation for Holland America and are not a continuation of the Rotterdam class vessel. These two newest ships will operate on a variety of Holland America's popular itineraries including Alaska, Europe, Caribbean and Panama Canal voyages. "The company is extremely pleased with Holland America Line's performance. It has undergone tremendous growth since our acquisition in 1989," said Micky Arison, chairman and CEO of Carnival Corporation.