Carnival Corp. & plc placed an order for two new cruise ships -- a 99,000-ton ship for Holland America Line due out in fall 2015 and a 135,000-ton vessel for Carnival Cruise Lines for delivery in winter 2016. The memorandum of agreement was signed with Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri. The news comes a day after Royal Caribbean said it was in talks to build a third Oasis-class ship.

The total cost for Carnival’s two vessels combined will be approximately $195,000 per lower berth. The memorandum of agreement is subject to customary closing conditions, including execution of shipbuilding contracts and financing. 

Holland America’s ship, which will be a new class of vessel, will enter service five years after the last Holland America ship, the Nieuw Amsterdam, was delivered in 2010. The Carnival vessel, also a new class of ship, will be launched four years after the introduction of Carnival Breeze, which debuted in spring 2012.

“Today’s order continues the company’s strategy of introducing two to three ships per year across the corporation’s 10 brands,” said Carnival Chairman and CEO Micky Arison. “We have strategically timed the introduction of these new ships to allow ample time for those brands to further grow their passenger base and absorb the new capacity while minimizing revenue yield dilution in the remainder of their existing fleets.”

Including this new order, Carnival Corp. currently has nine ships scheduled for delivery -- two for 2013, two for 2014, three for 2015 and two for 2016. Arison also noted that the new tonnage is expected to replace older ships, at least to some extent.

Carnival’s relationship with Fincantieri dates back more than 20 years. “These additional orders bring the total number of ships we have built for Carnival Corp. & plc to 61 and confirm Fincantieri’s world leadership in the cruise ship sector even at a time of slowing demand,” said Fincantieri CEO Giuseppe Bono. “We view these orders as a very positive development for the Italian economy and the global cruise industry.”