The construction of Costa Toscana has begun at the Meyer Turku shipyard, where her sister ship Costa Smeralda is nearing completion. Costa Smeralda and Costa Toscana, slated for delivery in October 2019 and 2021 respectively, will both pay tribute to “Italy’s finest.”
While the finishing touches are being put to the interior fit-out of Costa Smeralda, Costa Cruises has celebrated the first steel cutting at the Meyer Turku shipyard for Costa Toscana.
The Italian cruise line’s two new flagships Costa Toscana and Costa Smeralda will be tributes to the very best of Italy and, accordingly, each is named after one of the country’s loveliest and most popular areas (Tuscany on the one hand and Sardinia’s most famous coastal strip – costa is Italian for “coast” – on the other).
On Costa Smeralda all the decks and public areas are named after – and designed based on – iconic Italian places. The food and wine offerings on board will feature the finest Italian culinary traditions, with the collaboration of prestigious partner suppliers. The ship will have 11 different restaurants (including one specifically conceived for casual family dining), 19 bars, a splendid spa area with 16 treatment rooms, an onboard waterpark with waterslides, four pools and a dedicated facility where kids can hang out and make new friends their age. Costa Smeralda will also have her very own museum: the CoDe – Costa Design Museum, showcasing the excellence of Italian design.
Costa Smeralda is set to make her debut on October 20, 2019, with a 15-day preview cruise from Hamburg to Savona where the ship will officially be named on November 3rd.
To learn more on Costa Smeralda visit Costa Smeralda, the countdown is on!
With a gross tonnage of over 180,000 and more than 2,600 staterooms each, Costa Smeralda and Costa Toscana are part of the next generation of cruise ships which are powered, both in port and at sea, by liquefied natural gas (LNG), the world’s cleanest burning fossil fuel. This exemplifies Costa’s firm commitment to pursuing cutting-edge technology at the service of responsible innovation.
The introduction of LNG fueling is a ground-breaking innovation that will minimize environmental impact. It will mean improved air quality with the virtual total elimination of sulfur dioxide emissions (zero emissions) and particulate matter (95-100% reduction). The use of LNG will also greatly lessen emissions of nitrogen oxides (85% direct reduction) and CO2 (reduction of up to 20%). The gas will be stored in special tanks on board and will be used to generate the energy required for navigation and onboard services, thanks to dualfuel hybrid engines. Costa Smeralda and Costa Toscana are an integral part of the strategic plan for carbon footprint reduction, defined by Carnival Corporation and fully implemented by Costa Cruises. In fact, the measures adopted by virtue of a dedicated investment plan enabled Carnival Corporation to meet its 25% carbon reduction goal for 2020 some three years ahead of schedule, with a 27.6% decrease in emissions from operations already achieved by 2018.
Like other Carnival Corporation sister lines, the Costa Group is an industry leader in the promotion and development of innovative solutions aimed at minimizing impact and protecting the environment. As well as using LNG-driven ships, the brands of the Costa Crociere Group and those of the entire Carnival Corporation portfolio were the first to introduce Advanced Air Quality Systems (AAQS), namely exhaust gas cleaning technology. Also known as scrubbers, Advanced Air Quality Systems have already been installed on over 70% of the ships operated by the Costa Group and Carnival Corporation. The system guarantees the almost complete removal of sulfur oxide emissions, a 75% reduction in particulate matter and substantial nitrogen oxide emission abatement.