Calculate the cash flow over the life

Information gathered from various departments:

1. Six months ago Royal Oceania Cruises paid $30,000 to Wallaby Consultants for market research investigating the demand for a new ship (Pacific Dream). The report stipulates that there is strong demand from tourists, individuals aged 30-60, and from individuals who earn an income of $120,000+ per annum.

2. Two months ago, Royal Oceania Cruises invited its wealthiest and frequent cruise customers to an event held at The Star casino. The event had a total cost of $5,500 to cover payments for the event space, food and drink and service staff. The purpose of the event was to learn what would be desirable in the new Pacific Dream cruise ship. Roger Federer (from the Accounting department) suggests that the $5,500 event costs should be included as an opportunity cost incurred in year 0 of the Pacific Dream investment decision.

3. Sea Princess and Ovation of the Seas are the two other existing cruise ships in the Royal Oceania cruise fleet, both of these cruise ships have been depreciated over a 15-year life. The Pacific Dream will be purchased today for $32 million and will be the largest and most luxurious cruise ship operating in the Oceania region. The Pacific Dream will measure 348 metres in length, be able to reach a maximum speed of 30 knots and has a maximum passenger capacity of 2,000 customers. Due to the advanced navigational system, novel skydiving opportunities, and mini submarines allowing customers to uniquely observe sea life and creatures, Roger suggests that Pacific Dream should be depreciated over a 25-year life.

4. Due to the significant size of the Pacific Dream, Sydney Ports requires that the Pacific Dream be immediately fitted with a special thruster to manoeuvre within tight spaces. The current market value of a special thruster is $5 million, Roger expects the special thruster to have a useful life of 20 years.

5. The special thruster generates an unpleasant sound when in operation. Royal Oceania will immediately install a noise cancelling device to reduce the effects of the unpleasant sound generated by the special thruster. According to the Royal Oceania Cruises accounting books, an idle noise cancelling device (which has been written off for tax purposes) is currently stored in their North Sydney premises and is compatible with the Pacific Dream cruise ship. The Global Maritime Agency website shows that the current market value for the noise cancelling device is $750,000 and forecasts indicate that the noise cancelling device will be worthless 10 years from today. Roger informs you that the noise cancelling device was previously purchased for $2 million.

6. All cruise ships operating in Australian/international waters must purchase a maritime licence. The license must be purchased today and costs $555,000 and lasts for a three-year period. If a cruise ship does not have a license it cannot operate in Australian/international waters. The license can be claimed as an operating expense in the year in which the license was purchased. All operating expenses are tax deductible in the year the expense is incurred and the tax rate is 30% (hint: if an operating expense is incurred in Year 0, then you can record the tax deduction in year 0). The license cost has remained the same since it was introduced in 2005, and the cost is expected to remain the same in the future.

7. To heavily promote the Pacific Dream, Royal Oceania Cruises will spend $2.10 million p.a. during the first two years of operation. This campaign will involve sponsorship of the Wallabies during the 2019 World Cup in Japan and subsequently of the Socceroos in the lead up to the 2022 World Cup. Following the end of Year 2, advertising for the Pacific Dream will total $750,000 annually.

8. Hugh is slightly concerned by the large marketing costs associated with the Pacific Dream investment, so in agreement with Taylor they decide to reduce the total annual advertising expenses associated with the Sea Princess and Ovation of the Seas from $975,000 p.a. to $810,000 p.a. during the entire life of the Pacific Dream project.

9. During a lunchtime briefing the sales team provide you with the following sales information about the Pacific Dream, the sales information provided below accounts for seasonal patterns: Average sales price per customer = $1,000 per cruise journey. 25 Pacific Dream cruises run every year. Average number of customers = 1,500 per cruise journey.

10. The introduction of the Pacific Dream is expected to cannibalise the sales of the Sea Princess and Ovation of the Seas during the entire Pacific Dream investment. In total, the sales team forecast that total sales across the Sea Princess and Ovation of the Seas will decline by $5 million annually.

11. The Pacific Dream is expected to increase Royal Oceania Cruises total annual fuel expenses by $2.33 million to $4 million. Based on forecasts of future fuel prices and depleting fuel resources, annual fuel expenses for the Pacific Dream will increase by 2% every following year. The current salary of the 200 crew members required to operate the Pacific Dream is expected to total $13,500,000 per annum. However, following the end of year 5 it is forecast that each crew members annual salary is expected to increase by $5,000. Further changes in salary are not expected in subsequent years.

12. Due to the introduction of the Pacific Dream, Royal Oceania Cruises fixed costs (excluding headquarter costs) will increase by $1.75 million to $3.90 million per year. Royal Oceania Cruises headquarters is based in Tower One in Barangaroo. Annual headquarter costs total $3.66 million and such costs are not expected to increase in the foreseeable future. Taylor wants to allocate an equal share of the annual total headquarter costs for Royal Oceania Cruises across the Pacific Dream, Sea Princess and Ovation of the Seas.

13. Without Pacific Dream Royal Oceania Cruises require 90 tonnes of food and drink per year where each kilogram costs $28/kg for all cruise ships. The introduction of the Pacific Dream will result in bulk buying discounts for Royal Oceania Cruises. With Pacific Dream each kilogram of food and drink costs $25/kg for all cruise ships, this brings the total food and drink for Royal Oceania Cruises to 170 tonnes per year, meaning 80 tonnes of food and drink is required annually for Pacific Dream.

14. All of the cruise ships in the Royal Oceania fleet dock at the Overseas Passenger Terminal in Circular Quay. Pacific Dream will also dock at Circular Quay and will increase the Royal Oceania Cruises total annual port charges from $2.30 million to $2.87 million. When cruise ships dock in Circular Quay they obstruct views of the Opera House and Harbour Bridge, which results in reduced sales for surrounding restaurants (e.g., Aria, Quay, Bennelong). As a result, Royal Oceania Cruises pays these restaurants $40,000 p.a. to account for the loss in sales, this figure is expected to increase by $20,000 per annum with the introduction of Pacific Dream.

15. The Pacific Dream cruise ship will mean that the Royal Oceania Cruises call centre will be relocated from North Sydney to a larger facility in Heathcote. The rent expense for the North Sydney centre was $150,000 per annum and the rent expense for the Heathcote centre is $87,000 per annum. The larger call centre is required to fit additional staff members which will increase annual call centre salary expenses by $50,000 to $100,000.

16. During a meeting involving Hugh, Taylor, and the accounting and sales team, it is agreed that the plan is to sell Pacific Dream in 10 years time. To maximise the selling price of the Pacific Dream in ten years time, a regular three-year refurbishment is required, the first refurbishment occurs at the end of year 3 and costs $1.66 million, the second refurbishment costs $2.88 million and the third refurbishment costs $1.96 million. The refurbishments take place during breaks between cruise journeys, and as a result there is no impact upon the operating revenues and other expenses associated with the operation of the Pacific Dream. The refurbishments keep the cruise ship equipped with the latest restaurants, shops and entertainment. The refurbishment costs can be claimed as a tax deduction.

17. In addition to the major refurbishment costs, the Pacific Dream will require annual minor maintenance expenses of $0.96 million. If Royal Oceania Cruises proceed with the Pacific Dream project the spare parts inventory must be increased by $1.33 million from existing levels and purchased immediately. The annual maintenance of $0.96 million includes the cost of replenishing the inventory required to operate the Pacific Dream. Royal Oceania Cruises will also have to purchase additional insurance for the Pacific Dream at $2.56 million per annum (hint: assume that cash flows relating to insurance occur at the end of the year).

18. After a conference call with your contact (Mick Jagger) at the Global Maritime Agency, you learn that if regular three-year major refurbishments are made to the Pacific Dream then in 10 years time the Pacific Dream will have an estimated market value of $22.90 million. Otherwise, the value of the Pacific Dream in 10 years time will be $15 million. In either case, the special thruster will have an estimated market value of $1.11 million in 10 years time.

19. The Australian Tax Office (ATO) has recently released updates to its tax rulings. Under taxation ruling 2000/18 Passenger ships, the effective life of cruise ships like the Pacific Dream qualify for an effective life of 30 years. According to the ATO, the special thruster has an effective life of 6 years and the noise cancelling device has a depreciation rate of 20% per year.

20. In order to pay for the Pacific Dream, Royal Oceania cruises will pay $4 million in cash and the rest using debt which will be obtained from the Commonwealth Bank. Roger emails you an amortisation schedule which shows you that the principal and interest payments on the debt are $3.75 million annually, the schedule also shows that the debt will be fully repaid by the end of the projects life. In consultation with Wallaby Consultants, advisors at the Commonwealth Bank, Hugh and Taylor, the required return for Pacific Dream is 12.5%.