Costa Cruises has announced that several more ships are under construction and renovation, marking the continued expansion and renewal of of its fleet. The cruise line says it is aiming for a 43 percent capacity growth by 2021.
At Fincantieri's Marghera shipyard, construction has begun on a new 135,500-ton ship with 2,116 cabins, due for delivery in 2020. Like its twin Costa Venezia, it will be designed specifically for the Chinese market.
Between 2019 and 2021, four new ships will enter service for Costa Cruises. Costa Venezia, currently under construction at the Fincantieri shipyard in Monfalcone, Italy, is due to arrive in February 2019. The flagship Costa Smeralda, the first cruise ship for the world market powered by LNG, built by Meyer Turku shipyard in Finland, is due to arrive in 2019, with the sister ship of the Costa Venezia due in 2020, followed by Costa Smeralda’s sibling ship in 2021.
Starting in March 2019, the fleet innovation program also includes the return to the Mediterranean of the Costa Fortuna, a ship currently operating in Asia, which will offer one-week cruises departing from Genoa, Italy. At the end of 2019, the Costa neoRiviera will be transferred to the fleet of AIDA Cruises, the Costa Group’s German brand. After being remodeled and refurbished, the ship will be named AIDAmira, departing on its maiden voyage on December 4, 2019, from Palma de Mallorca, Spain.
In addition, the Costa Victoria has been operating regularly in the Mediterranean since March 30, 2018, having undergone renovations carried out at the Marseilles Shipyards. The majority of the work was focused on the cabins, the internal and external public areas, with the creation of a new tapas and paella bar. During the next summer season, the ship will offer a week-long itinerary dedicated to the Balearic Islands and Spain.
Under this growth program, the number of ships in the Costa fleet will increase to 17 in 2021, compared with the current 14. Overall, the Costa Group currently has seven new ships on order, for a total investment of over €6 billion (about $6.9 billion). In addition to Costa Cruises four new ships, there are three new LNG ships for the AIDA Cruises fleet, arriving between autumn 2018 and 2023.
For more information, visit www.costacruise.com.
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