NCL Corp., owned by Star Cruises Ltd., will spend as much as 2.17 billion euros ($2.8 billion) on as many as three ships for its Norwegian Cruise Line to add larger vessels to its North American fleet.

NCL has signed for one ship from France?s Aker Yards SA to be delivered in the fourth quarter of 2009 and another in the second quarter of 2010, with an option for a third to be built for 2011, Miami-based NCL said yesterday in a statement. Each ship will be 150,000 gross tons and have 4,200 beds.

Star Cruises, the world?s third-largest cruise operator by market value, is trying to make NCL?s fleet the youngest of the major North American cruise lines by 2010. The new vessels will be NCL?s largest to date, said Susan Robison, a company spokeswoman.

NCL has a fleet of 15 ships in use or under construction. The and the are scheduled to be completed later this year and in 2007, respectively.

The company?s two largest ships, the and , each weigh 93,500 tons, said Robison. (Bloomberg)

SeaDrill wins $980m Gulf contract

SeaDrill Ltd., a Norwegian oil-rig maker, said it won a contract to supply a drilling rig for use in the Gulf of Mexico.

The so-called semi-submersible rig, West Sirius, is under construction in Singapore and will be delivered by June 2008, the Bermuda-based SeaDrill said yesterdayday in a statement to the Oslo Stock Exchange.

The value of the contract may rise to $980 million over a six-year period, the company said. SeaDrill didn?t identify the company that ordered the rig. (Bloomberg)

TBS to acquire bulk carriers

Bermuda-based TBS International Ltd. has agreed to acquire two bulk carriers for $45 million, boosting its total fleet to 33 vessels.

The maritime cargo transportation company, which held an initial public offering earlier this year, said it expects the two ?handysize? vessels to be delivered in November.

The purchase was financed through a $140 million credit facility TBS International secured in July.

The MV , built in 1997, has a carrying capacity of 29,516 deadweight tons; the MV , built in 1996, has a carrying capacity of 29,458 deadweight tons.

Both vessels were built at the Dalian Shipyard.

Including the pending sale of the company?s MV , TBS International?s fleet will stand at 33 vessels with a combined cargo capacity of 983,000 deadweight tons. (Dow Jones)