Carnival Corporation & plc
The British-American Carnival Corporation & plc is the largest cruise company in the world. Under subsidiaries and under the brand names Carnival Cruise Lines, Holland America Line, Cunard Line, P & O Cruises, P & O Cruises Australia, Princess Cruises, Seabourn Cruise Line, Costa Crociere, AIDA Cruises, Ibero Cruceros, and it operates 100 ships worldwide.
Originally founded as Carnival Cruise Lines, the company called in 1993 to Carnival Corporation. Since the business combination with the British Carnival plc in April 2003, which had emerged from the cruise business of the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company, ie the group Carnival Corporation & plc. The company's headquarters is located in Miami.
History
Early years
The entrepreneur Ted Arison founded Carnival Cruise Lines in 1972 as a subsidiary of American International Travel Service ( AITS ) from Boston and bought the company in 1974 for 1 USD and transfer of USD 5 million in debt from the AITS.
1980s and 1990s
As Arison first time in 1987 brought about 20 % of its shares on the stock exchange, the company was already one of the most well-known cruise lines in the world. Using the proceeds from the IPO, the company grew through a series of acquisitions. It failed at 1988, the hostile takeover of the largest competitor, Royal Caribbean Cruise Line practically the last moment. Therefore, they purchased in 1989, the operating company of the Holland America Line, and with it the Windstar Cruises and Holland America Tours, and 1992, the Seaborn Cruise Line. The following year, the company then changed its name in 1997 and continued its growth course with the purchase of the Italian Costa Crociere continued. 1998 succeeded by Carnival Corporation to take over the traditional British Cunard Line, was as its parent company Trafalgar House battered by the Norwegian Kvaerner Group.
In 1988, Carnival Corporation rose over the purchase of Pacific Interstate Airlines also into the business of charter flights. In 1989, named in Carnival Air Lines Company flew among other things, between San Juan (Puerto Rico), Orlando, Miami and New York City. In September 1997 the company was sold to Pan Am Corporation, which operates the airline Pan American World Airways. However, too rapid expansion and the emergence of economic difficulties then led in early 1998 both Carnival Air Lines and Pan Am into bankruptcy.
Since 2000
As 2000, the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company its cruise activities outsourced as P & O Princess Cruises plc, the new company, then the number three opened under the world's largest cruise company, merger negotiations with the number two, the Royal Caribbean Cruise Line. With this merger, a new leader would have occurred, the Carnival would have displaced significantly than previously undisputed leader. The Carnival Corporation offered to shareholders then 1.2 billion U.S. dollars to take over the company itself instead. In April 2003, P & O Princess plc changed its name to Carnival plc and the companies did their business together. Included in this business were the companies P & O Cruises, Princess Cruises, P & O Holiday, Swan Hellenic and the German AIDA Cruises.
In the spring of 2007, the Windstar Cruises brand to Ambassador International, Inc. was sold. Shortly thereafter acquired Lord Sterling, the former chairman of P & O Cruises all shares of Swan Hellenic. Carnival had planned before the setting of the former P & O cruise line.
In October 2010, a new Queen Elizabeth went on its maiden voyage, the construction of which had been given in 2007 at the Italian shipyard Fincantieri in order, to the Inverstmentgesellschaft Istithmar sold to Dubai Queen Elizabeth to replace 2.
With the 27 April 2011 adopted by the Italian shipyard Fincantieri Carnival Magic, the fleet grew to just 100 units.
On 13 January 2012, the shipping company lost by a collision with a rock, run by Captain Schettino cruise ship Costa Concordia, with more than 30 people were killed.
Legal form and registered office
By its legal status as a dual - listed company structure, the Carnival Corporation is headquartered in Panama City and head office in Miami, on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), the Carnival plc, based in London, UK, on the other hand on the London Stock Exchange ( LSE) traded.
Since the Carnival Corporation is registered in Panama City, it is subject to the tax laws of Panama: There are no income taxes on transactions that were made outside of the country. There will be no tax on dividends, interest and fees incurred abroad. Foreign income not subject to corporation tax and income tax. Carnival plc is registered in London, however, and thus taxes must be paid according to British law.