HANDLING THE LOAD
Germany seems like a brilliant move, since
AIDA Cruises was acquired by P&O
Germany is the country least affected by
Princess Cruises in 2000, which, in turn,
Meyer Werft is happy to note that big or-
the economic uncertainties plaguing the
merged with Carnival Corporation, to form
ders keep coming in from AIDA Cruises,
continent. Nevertheless, AIDA Cruises has
Carnival Corporation & plc, the world’s
filling the shipyard’s order books for 2013
a lot to prove since Carnival has made an
largest cruise holiday company in 2003.
and beyond. The last ship of the Sphinx
€2 billion investment in these six ships –
Presently, AIDA Cruises is one of eleven
class, the AIDAstella, is due in late 2013.
and it will be interesting to see, if Germans
brands operated by the Carnival Group,
Building the club ships for the AIDA
will continue to embrace their cruises or
accounting for less than 10 percent of the
fleet has contributed to a high utilisation
will they start saving their pennies.
Group’s revenue. AIDA’s strategy is to at-
rate at the shipyard. Bernard Meyer, man-
tract younger, more active vacationers with
aging partner of Meyer Werft, has ad-
a style that is more youthful and casual.
mitted that the AIDA contracts are cru-
JOIN THE CLUB
Still, one has to keep in mind that AIDA
Presently, a total of nine club ships
cial for the company: it took the German
Cruises revolutionised the German cruise
are in service, operating voyages to the
yard almost two years to win them, and
market with the introduction of its first
Mediterranean, the Canaries, the North
there was fierce competition along the
club ships in 1996. The contract for the
Sea, the Baltic, the Caribbean, the Arabian
way.
building of the club ship AIDA (now
Gulf, Asia and Central America. By 2016,
AIDAcara) with the Kvaerner Masa Yards in
the AIDA fleet will feature a full dozen, if
Turku, Finland, was signed in August 1994.
everything goes according to plans.
SAMI J. ANTEROINEN
seatec 2/2012
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