Carnival Corporation’s Costa Cruises held a steel cutting ceremony for the cruise line’s second LNG powered cruise ship, Costa Toscana.
Costa Toscana is the second of two new sister cruise ships ordered by Costa Cruises that can be powered in port and at sea by LNG, the world’s cleanest burning fossil fuel. The first of these, Costa Smeralda, is nearing completion at the Meyer Turku shipyard and will enter service in October of this year, followed by Costa Toscana, which is expected to be delivered in 2021.
In total, following AIDAnova’s launch at the end of 2018 as the world’s first cruise vessel to be powered at sea and in port by LNG, Carnival Corporation has an additional 10 next-generation “green” cruise ships on order, with expected delivery dates between 2019 and 2025 for AIDA Cruises, P&O Cruises (UK), Carnival Cruise Line and Princess Cruises, in addition to Costa Cruises.
With gross tonnage of over 180,000 and more than 2,600 staterooms on each ship, Costa Smeralda and Costa Toscana are part of the Costa Group’s fleet expansion plan that includes a total of seven new ships scheduled to enter service by 2023. Carnival Corporation’s Costa Group includes the company’s Costa Cruises, Costa Asia and AIDA Cruises brands. AIDAnova, the first of these new ships, was launched at the end of 2018, followed by Costa Venezia, the brand’s first ship designed for the Chinese market, at the end of February 2019.
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 and Costa Smeralda (“costa” is Italian for “coast”). On Costa Smeralda, all 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.
The introduction of LNG to power cruise ships is a ground-breaking innovation that supports the Carnival Corporation’s environmental goals with the virtual total elimination of sulfur dioxide emissions (zero emissions) and particulate matter (95 to 100% reduction). The use of LNG will also substantially reduce emissions of nitrogen oxides and carbon dioxide.
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 dual-fuel hybrid engines. Costa Smeralda and Costa Toscana are an integral part of the strategic plan for carbon footprint reduction, defined by Carnival Corporation’s 2020 sustainability goals and fully implemented by Costa Cruises and the company’s eight additional brands.
Carnival Corporation achieved its 25% carbon reduction goal three years ahead of schedule in 2017 and made additional progress on that goal with a 27.6% reduction in emissions from operations in 2018.
