Five new cruise ships highlight European commitment

The christening of five new cruise ships in the last four months highlights the industry commitment to the European region, claims CLIA Europe.

STX France’s MSC Preziosa, AIDA Cruises’ AIDAstella,  EUROPA 2 from Hapag-Lloyd Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Lines Breakaway and The Royal Princess, from Princess Cruises have all been introduced in the last few months.

And according to the CLIA Europe’s 2012 report, titled "The Cruise Industry – Contribution of Cruise Tourism to the Economies of Europe," 20 new ships are currently being worked on in European shipyards with a combined capacity of over 60,000 passengers and worth a total of over €10 billion.

Those ships will be delivered to cruise lines around the world over the next three years.

Manfredi Lefebvre d’Ovidio, CLIA Europe Chairman, said: "The successful launch of no fewer than five magnificent new ships in just three months underscores the robust commitment of the cruise industry to the entire European region in terms of new investment, technological research and thousands of jobs in shipyards and with contractors.

"These five ships symbolize the strong growth of an industry that is responsible for more than 300,000 jobs in Europe."