Thursday, February 18, 2010

More big ships on the way for Carnival

Carnival agrees to buy 2 ships for its Princess Cruises brand to for 2013, 2014

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

MIAMI - Cruise operator Carnival Corp. said Wednesday it agreed to acquire two ships for its Princess Cruises Brand.

Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri will build two 3,600-passenger cruise ships, scheduled to enter service in the spring of 2013 and the spring of 2014. The new ships will have an all-in cost of about C$222,000 per lower berth.

At 139,000 tonnes each, the ships will be the largest in the Princess Cruises fleet. The ships have not yet been named.

Wells Fargo Securities analyst Tim Conder said in a note to investors the news isn't a surprise since management has said it wanted to order new Princess ships for 2013 and 2014.

"The timing of the announcement also appears favourable given recent weakness in the euro," he said. "Price per berth appears favourable versus recently ordered Carnival ship (C$209,000 per berth) set to be delivered in 2012."

He reiterated his "Outperform" rating on Carnival stock.

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