Fincantieri's French Shipyard Bid Faces Lengthy EU Antitrust Probe
Europe's largest shipyard Fincantieri faces a full-scale EU antitrust investigation into its bid for France's Chantiers de l'Atlantique on concerns the deal would reduce competition, three people familiar with the matter said.The European Commission's preliminary review of the deal ends on Wednesday. It will follow up with an in-depth investigation, the sources said. This lasts 90 working days but could stretch to as long as five months.The EU competition enforcer is worried the number of European players will be cut to two from three as a result of the deal, the sources said. The other competitor is a German shipyard.Fincantieri has argued Asian shipyards could pose strong competition in the next decade to try to address the Commission's worries, the people said.
Carnival Orders Fourth Conquest Class Vessel
Cantieri Navali Italiani S.p.A. for the construction of a new 110,000-ton "Conquest-class" vessel for its Carnival Cruise Lines unit. fall 2005, approximately 14 months after the delivery of the third "Conquest-class" vessel, Carnival Valor. just days after Carnival Corporation Chairman and CEO Micky Arison toured the Carnival Conquest, currently in the final stages of construction at the Italian shipyard and slated to debut from New Orleans in November 2002. The attractive price offered by Fincantieri played a key role in the decision to add a fourth vessel to the series. "The Carnival Conquest is simply stunning. interiors and there…
