Carnival Corporation & plc announced that it signed a letter of intent for a new 116,000-ton ship for its P&O Cruises brand.
The new vessel, which will have 3,076 lower passenger berths, will be built by Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri at its Monfalcone yard, at an estimated all-in cost of €535 million. The ship is scheduled for delivery in spring 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.
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.
With the announcement, Carnival Corporation & plc has 20 new ships on order, 14 of which are being constructed by Fincantieri.
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-ton 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.