Carnival Cruise Lines, a British-American owned cruise line based in Florida, USA, is to spend up to £500 million on an operational review of its fleet.
The company intends to review 101 ships across its ten brands following a number of reported technical problems and the widely publicised engine fire on the company’s ship, Carnival Triumph, in February this year. Improvements are already in hand for £200 million of improvements to Carnival Cruise Lines’ 24 ships, with emergency power capabilities, new fire safety technology and operating backup all benefiting from enhancements.
According to Carnival, the work should not affect its scheduled cruise itineraries beyond the cancellations that have already been announced for the damaged Carnival Triumph and delays to the rebuilding of Carnival Sunshine.
Micky Arison, chairman and chief executive of Carnival Corporation, said, ‘The investments announced today for Carnival Cruise Lines, and those we will continue to make, will reinforce our ability to consistently deliver the customer experience that 10 million people every year have come to expect from us across our fleet of 101 ships. Absolutely nothing is more important than the safety and comfort of our guests and crew, and we will use the full resources of our company to meet that commitment.’
Gerry Cahill, president and chief executive of Carnival Cruise Lines, said, ‘All of Carnival Cruise Lines’ ships operate safely today. Each vessel already has effective systems in place to prevent, detect and respond to emergency situations, and we meet or exceed all regulatory requirements. However, by applying lessons learned through our fleet-wide operational review after the Carnival Triumph fire and by taking advantage of new technologies, we have identified areas for enhancement across our operations.’
