Cunard Line

has announced that it has ordered a new 92,000-ton liner, to be named “Queen
Elizabeth,” scheduled to enter service in the autumn of 2010.Cunard, a
unit of Carnival Corporation & plc signed an
agreement with Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri for the construction of the
new 2092-passenger ocean liner, which will be built at Fincantieri’s
Monfalcone yard at an all-in cost of approximately $700 million. The vessel
will be the second largest Cunarder the company has ever built.

“Cunard already owns and operates the two most famous ocean liners in
the world, Queen Elizabeth 2 and Queen Mary 2, and a third—Queen
Victoria—is due to be named by HRH The Duchess of Cornwall, in the
presence of HRH The Prince of Wales, in December of this year,” said Carol
Marlow, president of Cunard Line. “The decision to order another ship for
Cunard Line has been taken as a result of the strong booking response to
the new Queen Victoria, and we are extremely pleased that Cunard will once
again become a three-ship fleet so soon after the departure of the
much-celebrated Queen Elizabeth 2 in November next year. Furthermore, we
are delighted that Her Majesty The Queen has given her blessing to our
calling this new Cunarder ‘Queen Elizabeth’, after our first vessel of that
name.”
  The new ship follows a long line of famous Cunard liners stretching
back to the company’s inception as the first operator of a timetabled
transatlantic service 167 years ago.
  “It is a particularly special moment for Fincantieri to have secured a
second order from Cunard at a time when we are nearing the completion of
Queen Victoria,” said Mr. Giuseppe Bono, Fincantieri’s Chief Executive
Officer. “Cunard is the most famous name in passenger shipping and we are
honoured to have been chosen to build Queen Elizabeth and to continue the
tradition and heritage of that great company.”
  Queen Elizabeth will offer the very best of Cunard’s values and
traditions, blended with every conceivable modern luxury that today’s
discerning travellers expect. Through her opulent public rooms and
impeccable service, the new ship will reflect the grandeur which has been
associated with Cunard ships since the introduction of the Mauretania in
1907; and from the outside, her black hull, gleaming white superstructure
and distinctive red funnel will echo the classic characteristics of the
company’s distinctive liner heritage.
  Queen Elizabeth will fly the Red Ensign with her home-port Southampton,
as is the case with the other ships in the Cunard fleet.
  The agreement is subject to approval by the board of directors of
Carnival Corporation & plc. Design details and initial itineraries will be
announced in due course.
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