Tourexpi
Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE:
CCL; NYSE: CUK),
the world's largest cruise company, today announced it has signed an agreement
with Meyer Werft shipyard for a fifth Excel-class cruise ship for its
namesake Carnival Cruise Line brand, with the delivery set for 2028.
In mid-February Carnival Corporation had announced
the first newbuild order placed in five years with news that a fourth
Excel-class ship would join the Carnival Cruise Line fleet in Spring 2027. This
announcement confirms an 11th Excel-class ship for the corporation's fleet
across four of its world-class brands, and the fifth to be sailed by Carnival
Cruise Line.
"Carnival's Excel-class fleet will soon be a
quintet of these very popular ships that provide outstanding guest amenities
and tremendous operating efficiencies," said Christine Duffy,
president of Carnival Cruise Line. "Since the introduction of Mardi
Gras in 2021 and the subsequent expansion with Carnival Celebration in
2022 and Carnival Jubilee in 2023, these Excel-class ships are driving
excitement, demand, and strong guest satisfaction ratings. With the arrival of
Carnival Firenze in April, we are completing the addition of five ships to our
fleet in less than 20 months, and then we will pivot to another phase of growth
with these two Excel ships."
This fifth Excel-class ship will be built on the
same platform as its sisters, with the 180,000-ton ship powered by liquefied
natural gas (LNG) and designed to carry over 6,400 guests and 1,800 crew.
"This new order continues to balance our
commitment to growth with our responsible capital approach to utilize strong
free cash flow over the next several years to strategically improve our balance
sheet, significantly reduce our leverage levels and continue to transfer value
from debt holders to shareholders," said Josh Weinstein, CEO of
Carnival Corporation & plc.
"Carnival Cruise Line continues to perform at
an outstanding level, and we are focused on adding capacity across the company
where it aligns with demand and our position in the marketplace. This measured
capacity growth strategy will result in our adding one to two ships per year
beginning in 2027, and we will be identifying additional fleet plans over the
coming months for our cruise lines to meet capacity demand and improve
execution across all aspects of our operation, with the benefit of yielding
higher return on invested capital," said Weinstein.
"We are proud of the role the Excel-class
from MEYER WERFT and MEYER TURKU has played in contributing
to the success of Carnival Corporation for many years now. We look forward to
continuing this success story together," said Bernd Eikens, CEO MEYER
Group.
This order is contingent upon financing, which is
expected to be completed later this year.
Image
Credit: © Carnival Corporation & plc
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