Costa Cruises LNG-Powered Ship To Be Named Costa Smeralda

Costa Cruises has announced that the first of its two new build LNG-powered cruise ships, which is due to launch in October 2019, will be named Costa Smeralda. The second ship will follow in 2021.
 
The steel cutting for the first of the two new ships, Costa Smeralda took place at the Meyer Turku shipyard in Finland on 13 September 2017.

​The two new 183,900 gross tonne vessels will be 337 metres in length, 42 metres wide and have a service speed of 17 knots. Each ship will accommodate up to 6,554 passengers and 1,646 crew.
 
Neil Palomba, President, Costa Cruises, said: “The two new Costa Cruises ships are a true innovation and set new standards for the entire sector. They will be among the first cruise ships powered by LNG, spurring the development of this green technology.”
 
Jan Meyer, CEO, Meyer Turku, said: “A really fresh and new design fused with the latest of technology. We are happy to bring our experience with building LNG powered passenger ships to bear.  At 183,900gt, Costa Smeralda is also a step up in ship size – we need the new facilities to answer to the demand of our customers and to increase our competitiveness for the future.”
 
During the steel cutting ceremony for the new ship, Costa Cruises also unveiled a new rendering of Costa Smeralda, with a new livery on the bow of the ship. The design is styled on the tricolour Italian flag. The new livery will be added to ships currently in the Costa Cruises fleet in the coming months. The ships names will also be updated in a larger size.
 
Neil Palomba, President, Costa Cruises, said: “With the new livery we are reinforcing the concept of "Italianness" on board our ships even more.”

Costa Smeralda will offer cruises in the Western Mediterranean following its launch in October 2019.