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Carnival Corporation & plc Signs Agreement to Build and Operate Cruise Terminal in Roatan, Honduras
Development of Two-Berth Facility Expected to Start This Fall
MIAMI, March 13 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Carnival Corporation & plc(NYSE/LSE: CCL; NYSE: CUK) has signed an agreement to build and operate acruise terminal on the island of Roatan, Honduras.
Development of the facility - to be called "Mahogany Bay - Roatan" - isexpected to start in fall 2007 and be completed by summer 2009 at a cost of$50 million.
The cruise facility will be situated on 20 acres on the Roatan waterfrontand will consist of a two-berth cruise terminal capable of accommodating superpost-Panamax vessels and up to 7,000 passengers daily.
Partnering with Carnival on the project is Jerry Hynds, a local businessleader and a member of the Honduran Congress. He is also the owner of CoralCay, a resort property located adjacent to the planned port facility.
Within five years of operation, "Mahogany Bay - Roatan" is expected tohost 225 cruise ship calls and 500,000 passengers annually.
Adjacent to the facility will be a 35,000-square-foot Welcome Centerincluding retail shops, restaurants and bars, along with a 60-foot-highlighthouse, a lagoon with cascading waterfalls, and a nature trail.
A transportation hub with the ability to accommodate taxis, rental carsand tour buses is also planned. A variety of shore excursion opportunities,to be provided by local tour operators, are being developed, as well.
A tropical island distinguished by a lush landscape of rugged mountainswith beautiful white-sand beaches, crystal clear waters, and colorful coralreefs, Roatan is a 165-square-mile island located 40 miles north of Hondurasin the southwestern Caribbean Sea.
The island is currently featured on the western Caribbean itineraries ofCarnival Corporation & plc brands Carnival Cruise Lines, Holland America,Princess Cruises, Costa Cruises, and P&O Cruises. The new "Mahogany Bay -Roatan" facility will further enhance guests' shoreside experience on thepopular island destination.
The new Roatan project continues Carnival Corporation & plc's efforts atdeveloping Caribbean ports to provide consumers with an even greater varietyof destination choices within the region. These include the new Grand TurkCruise Center, which in its first year in operation hosted nearly 300,000passengers.
"The Caribbean remains the world's number one cruise destination andCarnival Corporation & plc is always looking for ways to capitalize on manydistinct attributes that make the region so attractive to consumers.'Mahogany Bay - Roatan' is designed to build upon the success of our otherprojects by providing cruise ship guests with an unparalleled landsideexperience, with modern facilities and wide range of shore excursion choices,along with opportunities to explore this fascinating and beautiful island,"said Giora Israel, Carnival Corporation & plc's vice president of strategicplanning.
Carnival Corporation & plc is the largest cruise vacation group in theworld, with a portfolio of cruise brands in North America, Europe andAustralia, comprised of Carnival Cruise Lines, Holland America Line, PrincessCruises, Seabourn Cruise Line, Windstar Cruises, AIDA Cruises, Costa Cruises,Cunard Line, Ocean Village, P&O Cruises, Swan Hellenic, and P&O CruisesAustralia.
Together, these brands operate 82 ships totaling 147,000 lower berths with19 new ships scheduled to enter service between April 2007 and June 2011.Carnival Corporation & plc also operates the leading tour companies in Alaskaand the Canadian Yukon, Holland America Tours and Princess Tours. Traded onboth the New York and London Stock Exchanges, Carnival Corporation & plc isthe only group in the world to be included in both the S&P 500 and the FTSE100 indices.
SOURCE Carnival Corporation & plc
CONTACT: Media, US, Tim Gallagher of Carnival Corporation & plc,
+1-305-599-2600, ext. 16000, or UK, Richard Jacques or Sophie Brand ,
+44-0-20-7404-5959, both of Brunswick Group, or Investor Relations, US and UK,
Beth Roberts of Carnival Corporation & plc, +1-305-406-4832
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