Costa Cruises, the Italian company of Carnival Corporation & plc, celebrated the float-out ceremony of the new flagship Costa Toscana at the Meyer shipyard in Turku, Finland on Friday, January 15, 2021.
Costa Toscana, as her sister ship Costa Smeralda, is powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG), the marine industry’s most advanced fuel technology currently available for reducing emissions, both at sea and during port calls. Costa Group, which includes Costa Cruises, Germany-based AIDA Cruises and Costa Asia, was the first in the cruise industry worldwide to introduce this technology, having ordered five new LNG-powered ships, two of which, Costa Smeralda and AIDAnova, have already entered service. They are part of an expansion plan that includes seven new ships to be delivered to Costa Group by 2023, for a total investment of more than six billion euros.
During the float-out ceremony, Costa Toscana officially touched the sea for the first time, with the flooding of the basin where she has been built in recent months. She will enter service in December 2021, once the interior fittings have been completed.
Mario Zanetti, chief commercial officer of Costa Cruises and president of Costa Group Asia, commented: "Despite the current challenging scenario, Costa Group is confirming its investment in fleet expansion. We are confident in the recovery of our industry, and we are excited about the arrival of new ships like Costa Toscana, which embodies the elements we want to focus on for the future. First of all, it is an excellent and innovative ship, attractive for new customers, which is going to be fundamental, especially when people will be able to freely travel again and will have a great desire for holidays. Looking beyond the pandemic, the second element we are focusing on is to complete the transformation of our fleet and operations into a sustainable model. In addition to LNG technology, we are developing other innovative solutions, such as shore power and batteries, as we continue to work towards achieving zero emissions over time”.
“The float-out is always a very special occasion for us shipbuilders, as the ship is finally set to her natural environment. As this is also the start of the final stage of shipbuilding, all the exciting colors, venues and features will start taking their final form. In the coming months she will be finalized at the pier and then tested and commissioned in the autumn for delivery”, CEO of Meyer Turku, Tim Meyer, said.
