Carnival Corporation today announced an order for two new ships for AIDA Cruises, a new class of mid-sized vessels.
The agreement with Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri provides for the design, engineering, and construction of these multi-fuel-capable ships, which will be delivered in the first quarter of the fiscal years 2030 and 2032, respectively.
“With approximately 2,100 cabins each, these remarkable new ships give our guests a completely new class of ship which slot in perfectly between our 1,600 cabin Hyperion Class vessels and our more than 2,600 cabin Helios Class vessels,” said Felix Eichhorn, President of AIDA Cruises. “Our next generation of ships will delight our guests with amazing new features and experiences that we will reveal over time. Its innovative technology with multi-fuel propulsion systems, including LNG, will future-proof our operations into the coming decades.”
Eichorn added that once the second ship is delivered, AIDA will have a total of 13 ships in its fleet, further expanding its leadership position in the German cruise market.
“The introduction of these next-generation ships, when combined with the AIDA Evolution program modernizing much of the existing fleet’s décor, features and technologies, will drive even more demand for our AIDA brand, which is synonymous with cruising in Germany,” said Josh Weinstein, chief executive officer of Carnival Corporation.
According to Weinstein, with today’s order, Carnival Corporation’s newbuild pipeline includes eight new ships scheduled to enter service between now and 2033, including Star Princess this year and one each from 2027 to 2033.
“We’re maintaining our disciplined approach to growth and strategically directing new capacity to the highest-performing brands in our world-class portfolio like AIDA Cruises and its sister brand Carnival Cruise Line, which now account for seven of our eight ships on order. This growth plan will maximize our returns and allow us to use our strong free cash flow to continue lowering our debt balance and transferring value from debt holders back to shareholders,” he said.
“We are honored that our long-standing partner Carnival Corporation has selected Fincantieri to build ships for AIDA Cruises for the first time in our history. This milestone confirms our ability to serve the entire Carnival Corporation portfolio while ensuring long-term visibility for our shipyards. These new ships will embody the most advanced technologies for sustainability and efficiency, further strengthening Fincantieri’s and Carnival Corporation’s roles as leaders in cruise industry innovation,” said Pierroberto Folgiero, CEO of Fincantieri.
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