Carnival and CSSC have finalized the agreements in order to constitute the new crocieristica company with center in China



The crocieristico group American Carnival Corporation and the Chinese navalmeccanico group Lower Are Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC), finalizing agreements that go back to 2014 and to 2015(on October 16, 2014 and 21 October 2015), they have constituted a new crocieristica company with center in China with the objective to on board receive the first Chinese passengers within the end of 2019.

Joint venture, called CSSC Carnival Cruise Shipping Limited, will currently acquire two ships in service in the fleet of the Costa Crociere company, brand of the group American, before which it will begin to operate within the end of 2019. Before these ships, Costa Atlantica, of 86 thousand tons of tonnage and an ability to 2.210 passengers, it will be transferred to the new Chinese company within the end of the next year, while the twin ship Costa Mediterranea, of the ability to 2.114 passengers, will arrive in China in a date still to define.

Moreover joint venture, in which Carnival Corporation is minority associate, previews the finalizzazione of the agreement between Carnival, CSSC and the navalmeccanico group Italian announced Fincantieri at the beginning of 2017 for the first two cruise ships constructed in China for the Chinese crocieristico market, with the first delivery previewed in 2023(on 22 February 2018). The two new cruise ships will be constructed by Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. (SWS), one of the greater Chinese ship yards with center to Shanghai that takes part of group CSSC. The agreement offers also to CSSC Carnival Cruise Shipping Limited the ulterior possibility of option of order for four cruise ships of Chinese construction in order to tackle to the demanded increasing of the Chinese customers. The project has a total value of about 1,5 billion dollars excluded the options for ulterior the four ships.

CSSC and Fincantieri have created own joint venture in order to supply in licence to SWS the technological platform and to guarantee technical and progettuale support during all the process of construction. The two new ships will be constructed made-to-measure for the joint venture new and the preferences of the Chinese travellers.

"The official launch of our joint venture in China - it has emphasized the managing director of Carnival Corporation, Arnold Donald - is an important goal in the strategic development of a crocieristico and hard sustainable field in China. Together with our partner we are enthusiastic of being able launch a new company of cruises in created China made-to-measure for the Chinese travellers, that it will operate is with already existing ships that of new construction".

"This new company - the managing director of the group Costa and Carnival Asia has commented, Michael Thamm - will complete our presence on the market and will strengthen our engagement in helping China to develop a total ecosystem and to become world leader in the crocieristico market. We are pleased to collaborate with CSSC in order to grow the question of cruises, being made to discover to the great public because to cruise it is an extraordinary and unforgettable choice for own vacations".

"The decision to enter in the market of the cruises in collaboration with Carnival Corporation and Fincantieri - the CSSC president has explained, She Fan Pei - is a strategic choice for CSSC. The collaboration with the greater international companies will allow to develop a complete industrial chain us that will include planning and construction of the ships, management and chain of supply, combined promotion of environmental policies and creation of an ecosystem face to support the sustainable increase of the crocieristico field. Ours partnership continues to enjoy a great support by the Chinese government, is to central level that local. It is our intention to continue this partnership it win in order to guarantee the delivery of the first great cruise ship of Chinese manufacturing within 2023".

Satisfaction for the subscription of this agreement with the partner strategic Carnival Corporation and CSSC is expressed also by the managing director of Fincantieri, Giuseppe Bono, understanding - it has evidenced - that "represents the hard job, the determination and the vision of our teams in order to continue to develop the field of the cruises for the benefit of the Chinese travellers and to garrison enormous the potential one of the market. China - it has added Bono - represents more than a simple opportunity for the entire field, and we do not see the hour to collaborate together with the partner putting to I yield our great experience and leadership in the crocieristico field, supporting the objective of China to develop its abilities in the construction of cruise ships and to become leader total market of the section".

Fincantieri has specified that, as first market to the world for tourism abroad, in 2017 - second the World-wide Organization of Tourism of United Nations (UNWTO) - 142 million travellers from China have spold about 258 billion dollars and, in comparison, the Chinese industry cruise has served only about 2,5 million tourists last year representing less of 2% of the total. China, therefore - it has emphasized the Italian group - represents a very meaningful opportunity for the crocieristica industry, still introducing a low rate penetration and with projections in the long term that they preview the increase of tourism, and that they would have to carry the Country to become the greatest market cruise to the world.