MIAMI, Oct. 3, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE: CCL; NYSE: CUK), the world's largest leisure travel company, was honored yesterday at a ceremony at the Yacht Club of Greece when its Center for Simulator Maritime Training (CSMART) Academy was recognized for excellence in maritime safety training by SAFETY4SEA. The world-class training center, opened in 2009 and relocated into a new, state-of-the-art facility in July 2016, has a renowned reputation for its innovative practices and high standards in safety training and excellence in maritime operations for bridge and engineering officers from across Carnival Corporation's nine global cruise line brands.
"Carnival Corporation and its CSMART Academy are to be highly commended for having extraordinary dedication to annual professional development and continuous improvement in all facets of its bridge and engineering operations," said Apostolos Belokas, founder and managing editor of SAFETY4SEA, a top online portal for global maritime news and pro bono initiative fostering maritime safety and sustainable shipping. "Carnival Corporation is providing a guiding star for the maritime sector for its leadership, commitment and innovation in developing extremely high standards, protocols and curriculum. While it is easy to talk about safety being a priority, Carnival Corporation is an organization whose actions, investment and commitment to providing the most progressive training available speak volumes."
The SAFETY4SEA Awards celebrate organizations that have demonstrated outstanding performance within the critical areas of fostering safety, excellence and sustainable shipping. Following an open nomination process, the top companies and service providers are shortlisted, with all finalists being interviewed by SAFETY4SEA to discuss the latest information on the ways they are successfully working towards the goals of promoting maritime safety and sustainability.
"We are honored to receive the 2018 SAFETY4SEA award for the CSMART Academy, as it provides outside validation of the deep commitment that Carnival Corporation and our nine cruise line brands have made for ensuring that the safety and comfort of our guests and crew are our top priority," said Hans Hederström, managing director of Carnival Corporation'sCSMART Academy. "We continue to invest significantly in the CSMART Academy with new innovations in training, including advanced simulator systems, new instructional tools, industry-leading curriculum and a staff led by some of the finest maritime instructors in the world. Our collective commitment to safety enables our teams to create a culture of continuous professional development, and expand the knowledge and skills we need to continue meeting and exceeding the highest industry standards for maritime safety, which is a hallmark of Carnival Corporation, its cruise lines and the CSMART Academy."
Hederström received the award on behalf of the training facility at the third annual SAFETY4SEA Awards, which took place in Piraeus, Greece near Athens. The event was part of the annual SAFETY4SEA Conference, which brings together leaders in the cruising and shipping industries from around the world.
The SAFETY4SEA Training Award is the second major industry recognition for CSMART Academy in recent months, having been named in June the world's first Center of Safety Excellence by DNV GL, the world's leading classification society and a recognized advisor for the maritime industry.
Located in Almere, the Netherlands, outside of Amsterdam, Carnival Corporation'sCSMART Academy is a world-renowned maritime training, professional development and research facility that is part of the seven-acre Arison Maritime Center. Founded in 2009 and staffed with one of the world's most experienced maritime training faculties, the CSMART Academy provides rigorous annual safety training for nearly 7,000 bridge and engineering officers responsible for the navigation and operation of the world's largest fleet of cruise ships from the corporation's nine cruise line brands – Carnival Cruise Line, Princess Cruises, Holland America Line, Seabourn, P&O Cruises (Australia), Costa Cruises, AIDA Cruises, P&O Cruises (UK) and Cunard.
The CSMART Academy features four full-mission bridge simulators including bridge wings, four full-mission engine room simulators, eight smaller part-task bridge simulators, 36 part-task engine room simulators and a 176-room hotel for trainees. It features advanced simulator equipment, technology, instructional tools and curriculum, which provide participants with a superior maritime training experience that emphasizes team-based critical thinking, problem solving and decision-making.
The CSMART Academy's advanced simulators recreate scenarios and provide education and training programs designed around 60 different seaports around the world. Scenarios include adjustments for sea conditions, ship traffic, aircraft interference, weather events and wildlife circumvention.
More details on the Arison Maritime Center and the CSMART Academy are available at https://www.csmartalmere.com/.
About SAFETY4SEA
SAFETY4SEA (incorporating GREEN4SEA & SMART4SEA) is on a mission for Safe Ships & Clean Seas, committed to promote safer, smarter & greener shipping using safety4sea.com (with a top 10 world rank), monthly paper magazines & special publications (circulated in more than 12,000 copies monthly across the globe and onboard ships), along with video & social media to communicate news, insight, intelligence and opinions. Furthermore, it hosts SAFETY4SEA, GREEN4SEA & SMART4SEA Conference & Awards to foster excellence and share best practices across shipping.
About Carnival Corporation & plc
Carnival Corporation & plc is the world's largest leisure travel company and among the most profitable and financially strong in the cruise and vacation industries, with a portfolio of 10 dynamic brands that include nine of the world's leading cruise lines. With operations in North America, Australia, Europe and Asia, its portfolio features Carnival Cruise Line, Princess Cruises, Holland America Line, Seabourn, P&O Cruises (Australia), Costa Cruises, AIDA Cruises, P&O Cruises (UK) and Cunard, as well as Fathom, the corporation's immersion and enrichment experience brand.
Together, the corporation's cruise lines operate 103 ships with 234,000 lower berths visiting over 700 ports around the world, with 22 new ships scheduled to be delivered between 2018 and 2025. Carnival Corporation & plc also operates Holland America Princess Alaska Tours, the leading tour company in Alaska and the Canadian Yukon. Traded on both the New York and London Stock Exchanges, Carnival Corporation & plc is the only group in the world to be included in both the S&P 500 and the FTSE 100 indices.
In 2017, Fast Company recognized Carnival Corporation as being among the "Top 10 Most Innovative Companies" in both the design and travel categories. Fast Company specifically recognized Carnival Corporation for its work in developing Ocean Medallion™, a high-tech wearable device that enables the world's first interactive guest experience platform capable of transforming vacation travel into a highly personalized and elevated level of customized service.
Additional information can be found on www.carnival.com, www.princess.com, www.hollandamerica.com, www.seabourn.com, www.pocruises.com.au, www.costacruise.com, www.aida.de, www.pocruises.com, www.cunard.com, and www.fathom.org
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SOURCE Carnival Corporation & plc
Roger Frizzell, Carnival Corporation, rfrizzell@carnival.com, (305) 406-7862, Mike Flanagan, LDWW, mike@ldwwgroup.com, (727) 452-4538
