NCL, STX Europe Agree on F3 Project

Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) and STX France Cruise SA, STX Europe's French shipyard, have reached an agreement and are moving forward with the construction of the F3 cruise ship project.

NCL and STX Europe have agreed to revise the original F3 order. STX France Cruise is now building one F3 ship at 150,000 tons with a total of 4,200 passenger berths, representing the largest ship in NCL's fleet. This will mean a continuation of the original hull which is currently in the early phases of construction, with delivery set for late May 2010, as originally scheduled.  The planned second vessel, currently only in the preparatory stages, will not be built.  Further terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
 
"With this agreement, we can all focus on completing the new vessel successfully," said Kevin Sheehan, NCL's president and CEO. "We are looking forward to the arrival of our much-anticipated F3 ship as it represents a major step forward for NCL in terms of ship size, design and innovation."
 
"We are pleased that the ongoing construction of the ship for NCL will continue. We, along with our subcontractors, will now make the necessary adjustments to our plans for this project," said Jacques Hardelay, president of STX France Cruise SA.
 
(www.stxeurope.com)