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| February 20, 2004 No.0982 | ||
| Christening Ceremony of Luxury Cruise Ship "Diamond Princess" To Be Held On February 26th at Nagasaki |
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| Tokyo, February 20, 2004, -- Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) has completed the construction of a large cruise ship for Princess Cruises (CEO: Mr. Peter Ratcliffe) at its Nagasaki Shipyard & Machinery Works. A christening ceremony of the "Diamond Princess" will be held on February 26th in Nagasaki, Japan. The ship will be officially named by Mrs. Yoshiko Tsukuda, wife of Mr. Kazuo Tsukuda, President of MHI. In addition to Mr. Peter Ratcliffe, CEO of Princess Cruises; Mr. Micky Arison, Chairman of Carnival Corporation, parent company of Princess Cruises; Mr. Kazuo Tsukuda; and executives of these companies will attend the ceremony. Mr. Kazunori Ohta, Managing Director of MHI, will also attend the ceremony, representing Shipbuilding & Ocean Development Headquarters of MHI. MHI was commissioned to build two cruise ships for Princess Cruises. Construction began first with the Diamond Princess, followed by the Sapphire Princess. The delivery of the first ship was rescheduled by a fire accident in October 2002. By having agreement with Princess Cruises to build the second ship first as "Diamond Princess," MHI and its employees have made their greatest efforts to achieve revised completion schedule. The 116,000 GT (gross ton) Diamond Princess is literally a "sailing hotel" designed to satisfy the diversified needs of its passengers with numerous features, including an abundance of luxurious public areas and five swimming pools. The vessel is also engineered to provide the ultimate comfort required in a cruise ship. Its multiple power-generation system combines an aero-engine-derivative gas turbine and a low-emission diesel engine, together enabling a high-output electric-power propulsion system while achieving low noise and vibration. The Diamond Princess also integrates today's most advanced technologies addressing environmental demands. The vessel is equipped with a sophisticated system for processing large amounts of diverse wastes on-board, rather than disposing of them in the ocean. The system encompasses a sewage treatment unit incorporating next-generation biotechnology, as well as advanced flue-gas purification equipment. The construction of the ship Sapphire Princess progresses as planned with completion scheduled in May this year. Major Specifications of Diamond Princess
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About Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI), headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, is one of the world's leading global heavy machinery manufacturers, with consolidated sales of 2,593 billion yen (US$21.6 billion) in fiscal 2002 (year ended March 31, 2003). MHI's diverse lineup of products and services encompasses shipbuilding, steel structures, power plants, chemical plants, steel plants, environmental equipment, industrial and general machinery, aircraft, space rocketry and air-conditioning systems. For more information, please visit the MHI website (http://www.mhi.co.jp). PRESS CONTACT: Hideo Ikuno: h.ikuno@daiya-pr.co.jp Tel: +813-6716-5277, Fax: +813-6716-5929 Daiya PR (in charge of public relations for Mitsubishi Heavy Industries) |
