NEWPORT NEWS, Va., July 30, 1998 – The Carnival Cruise Lines ship MS Ecstasy arrived on Monday, July 27 at Newport News Shipbuilding (NYSE: NNS) to begin undergoing repair work required as a result of a fire that occurred on the ship’s aft mooring deck on July 20. Newport News Shipbuilding was one of three companies to vie for the work.

Newport News Shipbuilding has had a long and positive relationship with Carnival. The company most recently serviced the MS Destiny on that ship’s first dry docking and maintenance period since entering Carnival’s fleet in 1996. The company has also done work on the Carnival ships Celebration, Sensation, Tropicale and the former T.S.S. Carnivale.

"We are very pleased to be performing this work on Ecstasy," said Ed Waryas, Newport News Shipbuilding’s Director of Commercial Marketing. "Carnival Cruise Lines, like Newport News Shipbuilding, is known for its total focus on customer service and satisfaction. It is our full intent to get this ship back into service as quickly as possible so that it may continue to serve Carnival vacationers."

Dru Shelman, Superintendent for Ship Repair at Newport News Shipbuilding, also emphasized that point. "Carnival knows we deliver on time, a critical factor for any cruise line," she said. "Plus, we can do just about anything at Newport News. In effect, we’re a one-stop shipyard."

The nature of the work for Newport News Shipbuilding includes replacing damaged steel decks, piping and ventilation. The company is working toward meeting Carnival’s announced service re-enter date of September 11.

The 2,040-passenger, 70,000-ton MS Ecstasy entered service in 1991. Ship amenities include three swimming pools, a casino, nine passenger decks and more than a thousand staterooms.

Newport News Shipbuilding is America’s premier shipbuilding company with annual revenues of approximately $1.7 billion and 18,000 employees. The company is the leader in the design and construction of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers and submarines for the U. S. Navy.