SHIP-ORDER
NEWS AT SEATRADE
" Oceania Cruises
entered into an agreement with Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri to
build two, 1,260-passenger, 65,000-ton ships, with expected
deliveries in fall 2010 and summer 2011. The new vessels will cost
$500 million each, or $400,000 per berth, and the agreement
includes an option for a third vessel that would be delivered in
2012. Oceania was recently acquired by equity firm Apollo
Management.
" Silversea Cruises
also ordered a ship from Fincantieri, with an option for a second.
The luxury line signed a memorandum of understanding to build a
36,000-ton, 540-passenger ship, which would be scheduled for
delivery in late 2009. The ship would increase Silversea's capacity
by 40%, from 1,356 berths to 1,896 berths.
CARNIVAL
CORP. reported that net income for the first quarter of
2007, which ended Feb. 28, was up 13% to $283 million; revenues
increased 9.1% in the quarter to $2.69 billion. Increased capacity
and strong pricing in Europe buoyed the results, the company said
in an earnings call with analysts on March 16. The revenue increase
was driven by a 7.4% increase in cruise capacity and a 1.7%
increase in gross cruise revenue yields; cruise costs for
first-quarter 2007 increased 1.3% over the same period of
2006.
MSC
CRUISES will bring one of its new, Musica-class ships to
the Caribbean in 2009, according to MSC Cruises' U.S. CEO, Rick
Sasso. One of the line's 89,600-ton ships will sail seven-day
itineraries from Fort Lauderdale starting Jan. 2, 2009, Sasso said.
This class of ship "will hit a home run in the Caribbean," Sasso
said. "You can't just put any product there." The Musica-class
ships carry 2,500 passengers, and 65% of their cabins have
balconies.
SWAN
HELLENIC will continue to exist, in name at least. Lord
Sterling, the former chairman of P&O and "life president" of
P&O Cruises, reached an agreement with Carnival plc to buy the
assets of the U.K.-based cruise company. Carnival Corp. had
previously said that the line's sole ship, the Minerva II, would
transfer to Princess Cruises in April and become the Royal
Princess. Lord Sterling said that he is "actively seeking a
replacement ship." David Dingle, managing director of Carnival UK,
said that "the sale of Swan Hellenic is in line with Carnival's
strategy of moving away from smaller niche brands."
Cruise
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