Costa Cruises took delivery of the cruise line’s second LNG-powered cruise ship at the Meyer shipyard in Turku, Finland. The vessel completed her sea trials towards the end of October and was officially handed over to Costa on December 2, 2021.
The vessel confirms Costa is at the forefront of changing to liquefied natural gas, the most advanced technology available in the maritime industry to reduce emissions. Costa Toscana will be sailing on her maiden voyage in March of 2022 from Italy.
Costa Cruises Takes Delivery os Costa Toscana
Today, the Meyer shipyard in Turku, Finland, delivered Costa Toscana to Costa Cruises, the cruise line’s newest vessel powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG). You can watch a video of how the ship came a reality through the stages:
Although the vessel had been scheduled for delivery in 2020, the delivery date was delayed to June 2021 and again due to the pandemic. Costa Toscana completed a set of sea trials at the end of October, after which the Excellence-Helios-class cruise ship returned to port to have the finishing touches applied before the vessel was officially handed over.
Mario Zanetti, President of Costa Cruises: “Thanks to her excellent and innovative features and services, Costa Toscana will be able to attract new cruise guests, supporting us in consolidating our presence in the Mediterranean and our gradual restart plan.”
Costa Toscana’s first cruise, which will sail from Savona, Italy, on March 5, 2022, will call at Marseille, France; Barcelona, Spain; and Palermo, Sicily; and Civitavecchia, Italy. The newest Costa flagship will then remain in the western Mediterranean all year. During the summer, she will call at Savona, Civitavecchia, Naples, Ibiza, Valencia, and Marseille, in autumn Palma de Mallorca will replace Ibiza.
The European itinerary has changed since last year; in October 2020 the cruise line announced the deployment of Costa Toscana in Brazil and South America. Since then, the pandemic forced the cruise line to make changes which resulted in Costa Toscana remaining in the Mediterranean year-round.
Pioneering LNG in a Changing Industry
The Costa Group, a group of cruise lines under the Carnival Corporation umbrella, is developing itself as a true frontrunner in the cruise industry, making a vital change to LNG. It was the first company in the world to pioneer the use of liquefied natural gas on cruise ships.
There are already two LNG-powered ships in service: AIDAnova and Costa Smeralda; Costa Toscana was delivered today, and AIDACosma will be delivered soon. LNG enables the almost complete elimination of harmful emissions.
“Costa Toscana reinforces our commitment to sustainable innovation by further contributing to the use of LNG applied to cruise ships, a technology that we pioneered. It is an innovation that is part of a constantly evolving path of ecological transition. Indeed, we are also working on testing further innovations, such as fuel cells and batteries, with the aim of eventually achieving the first cruise ship with net zero emissions,” – said Mario Zanetti.
A Tribute to Tuscany
Costa Toscana has been designed by Adam D. Tihany, who has previously designed Seabourn Cruise Line’s newest cruise ships and expedition ships. Furniture, lighting, fabrics, and accessories have all been made in Italy and have been designed exclusively for the Costa vessel by 15 partners who represent the very best of Italian excellence.
A massive 21 restaurants, lounges, and bars will be dedicated to the food experience for the 5,322 passengers on board the 185,500 gross ton cruise ship.
