​Costa Smeralda Delivery Delayed

The delivery of Costa Cruises’ first LNG-powered cruise ship has been delayed and is now due to debut at the end of November 2019.
 
The 183,900 gross tonne ship is currently under construction at the Meyer Turku shipyard in Finland. Due to construction delays the ship will not be ready for its original delivery date.

Neil Palomba, President, Costa Cruises, said: “Our priority is always to offer our guests a unique vacation experience that exceeds their expectations. Unfortunately, the Meyer Turku yard needs more time to ensure that Costa Smeralda will do just that and this is absolutely crucial as far as we’re concerned. At the same time, I would stress that Costa Smeralda is a totally innovative project in terms of both technology and product. In particular, the use of LNG propulsion, which we were the first to invest in, epitomizes Costa’s vocation for ground-breaking, responsible innovation by greatly reducing emissions, thus laying down a marker for the cruise industry as a whole."
 
"We deeply regret this delay and apologize for the inconvenience caused to all our guests who’ve already booked a cruise on Costa Smeralda sailing prior to November 30. In any case, we trust that we’ll be able to welcome them on board our new flagship and we’ve already made the necessary arrangements so as to offer them a new choice of departure dates.”
 
Costa Smeralda will now set sail on her first cruise on 30 November 2019, departing from Savona, Italy.
 
Costa Smeralda will measures 337 metres in length, 42 metres wide and have a service speed of 17 knots. The new flagship will accommodate up to 6,554 passengers and 1,646 crew. The ship will offer cruises in the Western Mediterranean during its inaugural season.  She will be joined by a sister ship, Costa Toscana which is set to debut in 2021.