International luxury operator Seabourn Cruise Line has conditionally agreed to order two 32,000-gt, 450-passenger vessels from Italian shipbuilder T Mariotti – the first newbuildings in the luxury sector for years. Seabourn owner Carnival Corp will pay $250M each for the ships, with the first to be delivered in spring 2009 and the second in 2010, bringing Seabourn’s overall fleet capacity from 634 to 1,534 berths. The letter of intent is “subject to a number of conditions, including definitive contracts, financing and other terms”. While the T Mariotti deal had been previously rumoured, some market watchers were nevertheless surprised by Carnival’s plans. It had been speculated by some that Carnival hoped to sell its Seabourn division altogether and focus on larger ships, a theory that was fuelled by V.Ships’ management contract for the brand in March. Several potential buyers have approached Carnival regarding the Seabourn brand over recent years; two such interested parties have told Fairplay that they were unable to bring Carnival down to an agreeable price. The T Mariotti order marks a return to new construction for the ultra-luxury sector, which has not seen any deliveries since Regent’s 46,000-gt Seven Seas Voyager and Crystal’s 68,000-gt Crystal Serenity in 2003. The order also marks a significant evolution in Seabourn’s vessel profile: the new ships will be more than triple the gross tonnage and more than double the passenger capacity of existing ships.
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