20th May 2014 07:22
LONDON (Alliance News) - Carnival Corporation PLC shares were up in London early Tuesday after the company said it would add two ships to its Australian fleet in 2015 to meet surging demand for cruises in the country.
In a statement, the cruise company said Australian cruise passenger numbers have more than doubled in the past five years and are projected to grow to one million by 2016, from 800,000 in 2013.
"P&O Cruises (Australia), one of Carnival Corporation's 10 brands, will add two ships to its fleet in 2015. With a total of five ships, P&O Cruises will establish Australia's largest year-round fleet and be well-positioned to continue meeting Australians' surging demand for cruise vacations," it said.
The two ships being added are currently sailing as ms Ryndam and ms Statendam in Carnival's Holland America Line fleet. They are mid-range in size, similar to the three existing P&O ships in Australia - the Pacific Dawn, Pacific Jewel and Pacific Pearl.
The ships will be completely refurbished, including onboard features tailored for Australian and New Zealand passengers, Carnival said
It will be offering more short break cruises, traditional cruises to the South Pacific and cruises to new destinations like Papua New Guinea and Asia.
Carnival shares were up 4.1% at 2,397 pence in London early Tuesday, by far the biggest gain on the FTSE 100.
By Steve McGrath; [email protected]; @SteveMcGrath1
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