P&O Cruises Australia has signed a landmark agreement for the construction of its first new ship, which will also become the largest vessel in its fleet.
The deal with Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri will see the development of a new 135,500-tonne vessel which will be able to handle more than 4,200 passengers – double the capacity of the biggest cruise ship currently homeporting year-round in Australia. The as-yet-unnamed ship is scheduled for delivery in 2019.
“This is a very proud moment for P&O and a significant step forward in our continued growth in this market,” said P&O Cruises’ president, Sture Myrmell. “Our new-build will be a ship like no other, reflecting the tastes of modern Australia and building on the ongoing evolution of P&O Cruises’ product in recent years. We are incredibly excited to be creating this ship and can’t wait to reveal details over the months ahead.”
Measuring 323 metres in length and with 2,100 guest rooms, the new ship will be based in Australia year-round and will offer itineraries from three to 10 days in duration.
The finalisation of the contract follows the announcement late last year of a memorandum of agreement between Fincantieri and P&O’s parent company, Carnival Corporation, for five new ships including P&O Cruises’ new-build.
The new vessel forms part of P&O Australia’s ongoing expansion, which saw the addition of two ships – Pacific Eden and Pacific Aria – last year, taking its current fleet to five ships.
P&O will also take delivery of another ship, the refurbished 2000-passenger Pacific Explorer, in May 2017, while the smaller 1,600-passenger Pacific Pearl will leave the line’s fleet in April.
“With an average annual 20% growth in passenger numbers over the past decade, Australia is one of the fastest growing cruise markets in the world. Our expansion will not only help meet surging demand, it will also drive future growth by enticing more Australians to holiday at sea,” Myrmell said.
The new contract was signed on Saturday at a ceremony at Fincantieri’s shipyard in Italy, attended by the Italian Minister of Infrastructure & Transport Graziano Delrio, Carnival Corporation’s chairman Micky Arison and CEO Arnold Donald, Fincantieri’s CEO Giuseppe Bono, and Stein Kruse, CEO of Holland America Group.
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