Seatrade Cruise News is part of the Informa Markets Division of Informa PLC

This site is operated by a business or businesses owned by Informa PLC and all copyright resides with them. Informa PLC's registered office is 5 Howick Place, London SW1P 1WG. Registered in England and Wales. Number 8860726.

Fincantieri bags two new orders - one apiece for Carnival Cruise Line and Holland America Line (**updated**)

Fincantieri bags two new orders - one apiece for Carnival Cruise Line and Holland America Line (**updated**)
Update addresses pricing of the newbuilds. Carnival Corp. & plc signed an order for two newbuilds—one apiece for Carnival Cruise Line and Holland America Line—with Fincantieri.

They will be sisters of Carnival Vista and Koningsdam, currently under construction at Fincantieri shipyards.

The 133,500gt Carnival ship, the 26th unit in the fleet, will have capacity for 3,954 passengers and will enter service in spring 2018.

The Holland America ship, a second Pinnacle-class unit of 99,500gt with accommodation for 2,650 passengers, will be delivered in autumn 2018.

'These beautiful new ships on order from Fincantieri signify our on-going commitment to provide the best possible guest experience across our industry-leading brands,' said Arnold Donald, president and ceo of Carnival Corp. & plc. 'New ships with the latest in features, accommodations and innovations really bring the modern cruise experience to life and will help us continue to grow new demand for cruising.'

Donald dodged a question on the price of the 2018 newbuilds during Friday's earnings call, mentioning only inflation. In a subsequent note, UBS Investment Research suggested the cost for the 2018 ships 'sound[s] slightly higher per berth' than 2016's Koningsdam and Carnival Vista, 'to allow for some inflation.'

'To have been once more chosen for such an important order is the best recognition for our skills,' said Giuseppe Bono, ceo of Fincantieri. 'This is an extremely important sign, especially if we consider the shipbuilding industry’s present period of evolution, both in Europe and Asia.'

Bono noted that Fincantieri has a solid order book, 'without equal in terms of diversification and quality of the product, which is a testament to our leadership in the cruise ship business sector.'

He referenced the yard's long-standing relationship with Carnival, 'a partnership which has allowed us to grow and which is now strengthened by our recent agreement involving the Chinese market and by today’s orders. We are hopeful that many others will follow in the future.'