Carnival Corporation & plc announced
the official opening of the Arison Maritime Center, its world-class facility
dedicated to providing rigorous safety training for its bridge and engineering
officers responsible for the navigation and operation of the world's largest
fleet of cruise ships.
The new 75-million-euro facility in Almere,
Netherlands, just outside Amsterdam, was celebrated with a ceremony honoring
longtime board chairman Micky Arison and his father Ted, founder of the
company, that was attended by the company's global leaders, board members and
government, community and business officials.
The centerpiece of the seven-acre campus is
a new and more than two-times-larger Center for Simulator Maritime Training
Academy (CSMART), Carnival Corporation's world-renown maritime training,
professional development and research facility that began operations in Almere
in 2009. The center will feature bridge and engine room simulators that utilize
the most innovative technology and training solutions in the maritime industry,
modeled closely after the technology and practices used in the airline and
other industries.
"The opening of the new Arison
Maritime Center and expansion of our CSMART Academy is a major milestone in our
company's history and an exciting day for all of us at Carnival
Corporation," said David Christie, senior vice president of maritime
quality assurance for Carnival Corporation. "The safety and comfort of our
guests and crew is our most important priority, and the Arison Maritime Center
underscores the depth of our commitment to making sure our ships sail as safely
as possible. Our bridge and engineering officers are the heart and soul of our
ship operations, and this center takes to a new level our dedication to
providing our officers with the maritime industry's most comprehensive and
progressive safety training."
Added Christie: "With 10 cruise line
brands sailing 11 million guests a year to over 700 ports around the world, we
take tremendous pride in having a team of highly trained, skilled and prepared
officers operating the bridges and engine rooms on our ships. With the new
Arison Maritime Center and CSMART Academy officially up and running, our
tradition of excellence and continuous improvement in safety training is
stronger than ever."
At 110,000 square feet, the environmentally
friendly facility is more than double the size of the company's current
facility, allowing Carnival Corporation to provide annual training to over
6,500 officers and engineers across the company's 10 cruise line brands. It
will also include an advanced medical center and an 11-story, 176-room hotel
for Carnival Corporation trainees.