Aida To Give P&O A Boost

Shipping company P&O, reporting its first-half results, said on Tuesday it was to boost its presence in the German cruise sector by buying the remaining 49 percent of Aida Cruises for 115 million marks ($49.9 million).

Peninsula & Oriental Steam Navigation Co. said that it would combine Aida Cruises with its Seetours International Ltd unit, to create a company accounting for around 20 percent of the German cruise sector by number of passengers. "We have two of the best consumer cruising brands and will be in a strong position to exploit the huge potential of the German market," P&O chairman Lord Sterling said in a statement.

Meanwhile, the company posted a slight rise in first half pre-tax profit on Tuesday, and said the demerger of its cruise business was proceeding according to schedule.