Carnival will triple its crew-training capacity

CarnivalCorp_logoCarnival Corp. (CCL), moving to improve safety following accidents that cost the world’s largest cruise operator tens of millions of dollars, will triple its crew-training capacity with a new facility in the Netherlands.

The company agreed to buy land in Almere for the $50 million project, scheduled to open in 2016, according to Captain Hans Hederstrom, managing director of the company’s Center for Simulator Maritime Training. The complex will have four bridge and engine room simulations, enough to accommodate all of Carnival’s 4,000 deck officers and engineers annually.

Carnival has increased its focus on safety following incidents that included the shipwreck of the Costa Concordia off the Italian coast in January 2012 that killed 32 people. The company is spending $700 million to boost fire prevention measures and backup generator capacity on its ships.

The company signed the letter of intent with Amvest Property Group for the purchase of seven acres (2.8-hectare) along the coast of the Netherlands. The new facility will add to a training center it already has in Almere.

The original facility opened in July 2009. Demand for its use by the company’s 10 cruise lines has increased in the past two years.

 

Source: Bloomberg