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Cuba a 'tremendous opportunity,' 11 ports can take ships, Carnival chief says

Princess Cruises
Arnold Donald - 'There is a lot of pent-up demand to visit Cuba'
If the longstanding US trade embargo with Cuba is lifted, this would present a 'tremendous opportunity' and 11 ports now would be able to take cruise ships, Arnold Donald, ceo of Carnival Corp. & plc, said Friday.

'There is a lot of pent-up demand to visit Cuba,' Donald told analysts during the company's earnings call. 'We are excited about prospects for Cuba, and it would definitely create the demand we need to drive a relative scarcity of [berth] supply.'

Donald said 11 ports around Cuba are currently able to accommodate ships belonging to the Carnival fleet. However, there are size restrictions.

The Havana port, for example, could not take big vessels. It has a relatively shallow draft and cannot be dredged because of a tunnel, the Carnival chief said.