Carnival CEO walks the plank

Carnival Corp. said yesterday that Micky Arison will step down as chief executive officer after 34 years — but remain chairman.

The 63-year-old Arison, Carnival’s largest shareholder, will hand the job on July 3 to Arnold W. Donald.

Arison, also owner of the Miami Heat, steps aside after headline-making crises and forced price cuts to fill Carnival berths.

A fire on the Triumph ship in February left 3,100 passengers stranded at sea with limited food and toilet service. At least two other Carnival vessels were involved in incidents, leading to canceled voyages. Last year’s shipwreck of the company’s Costa Concordia resulted in 32 fatalities.

The change is likely to be well-received by investors, said Stifel Nicolaus & Co. analyst Steven Wieczynski.

In the quarter ended May 31, sales fell 1.7 percent, to $3.48 billion. Yesterday stock closed at $34.89, up 5 percent.