NEW YORK, April 8 (Reuters) - Norwegian Cruise Line

Holdings ( NCLH ) has placed the largest ship order in its

history to meet the growing demand for cruise travel, the cruise

operator said on Monday.

The company will order eight new ships across the company's

three brands, scheduled for delivery between 2026 and 2036,

executives told Reuters, without giving a price for the ships.

Norwegian Cruise Line ( NCLH ) made its announcement after stock

trading closed. Its shares closed at $19.39, up 2.65%.

The cruise industry represents 1.5% to 2% of the overall

vacation market so there is room for growth, Norwegian CEO Harry

Sommer told Reuters.

"This is the most comprehensive look to the future that the

company has ever done," Sommer said. "It demonstrates our

optimism about the future of this industry."

Sommer said the new ship orders will not materially increase

capital expenditure requirements.

Norwegian said the new ships will enable the company to grow

passenger capacity by 6% a year through 2028 and 4% annually

through 2036.

"We can grow and deliver these outsized returns on dividend

free cash flow while at the same time not impacting at all our

leverage for the foreseeable future," Sommer said.

The company had total net debt of $13.7 billion at the end

of 2023.

The company said the ships are slightly more expensive than

ships delivered in 2022 given inflation. Norwegian also plans to

develop a new pier on its private island in the Bahamas, set to

be completed by late 2025, with an investment of $150 million.

The company said the pier will allow it to carry 50% more

guests to the region annually.