Special celebrations were held on February 22 in the Italian port of Savona for the naming ceremony of Costa Smeralda, Costa Cruises’ new flagship, powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG). The company says Costa Smeralda is a breakthrough for the cruise industry, representing a combination of environmental innovation, smart technologies and expertise in design, food and high-tech entertainment.
Actress Penélope Cruz performed the ribbon-cutting duties with the traditional breaking of the bottle against the bow of the ship in the presence of the Master of Costa Smeralda, Paolo Benini. Italian celebrity chef Bruno Barbieri created a special gala cocktail. The ceremony ended in a firework display.
The cruise liner boasts an innovative technologically advanced theatre, the Colosseo, 16 restaurants, the Solemio Spa, theme bars and entertainment areas, and the Costa Design Museum (CoDe), the first-ever museum on a cruise ship. All furnishings and accessories were made in Italy specially for the new flagship.
Coasta Cruises says that onboard innovative technologies and circular economy concepts are applied to support sustainable cruising. Daily water supply requirements are served by special desalinisation plants. An intelligent energy management system reduces energy consumption to a minimum, while waste is managed within a recycling facility. An LNG propulsion system will virtually eliminate sulphur dioxide and particulate matter emissions, while greatly reducing emissions of nitrogen oxides and CO2.
Michael Thamm, group CEO of Costa Group, which includes Costa, Germany’s AIDA Cruises and Carnival Asia, said: “As the market leader in Europe, we are committed to being the first to introduce environmental innovation and lead the way in sustainable cruising for the cruise industry. We were the first company to invest in LNG and we are currently working to develop other sustainable technologies such as battery storage, fuel cells and liquefied gas from renewable energy sources.”
The Costa Group’ fleet expansion plan, with a total of seven new ships, is an overall investment worth over €6 billion. Two of their cruise liners with this pioneering LNG propulsion system, Costa Smeralda and AIDAnova, are already in service, with another five scheduled for delivery by 2023.
