The new ship, The Costa Deliziosa, Costa’s 15th fleet member, built at Fincantieri’s Marghera (Venice) shipyard, was put through her paces in the open sea for the first time, with a series of running tests on the ship’s systems, machinery and engines. She completed the trials successfully.
During the official trials performed at sea, the Costa Deliziosa was sailed at maximum speed (in excess of 23 knots), for eight hours non-stop during the endurance test. A crash stop was also carried out; this maneuver involves the total shutdown of propulsion with full ahead movement to see the distance required to bring the vessel to a total halt in the event of an emergency. During the UMS trial the Costa Deliziosa sailed for 6 hours non-stop using only her automatic control systems for power generation and propulsion. Lastly, the blackout test was conducted whereby all the ship’s control equipment is shut down and reactivated automatically.
After the trials the Costa Deliziosa returned to the yard in Marghera for the final touches on her fitting out, ahead of her imminent entry into service. The Costa Deliziosa will be ready for delivery on January 29, 2010, while her inauguration will take place in Dubai on February 23, 2010, during her Grand Maiden Cruise, which departs from Savona on February 5. This will be the first time a cruise ship has been named in an Arabian city.
The Costa Deliziosa is part of the Italian Company’s fleet expansion program, presently the biggest of its kind in the world, with five new ships due to enter service between this year and 2012, for a total investment worth $3.6b. The Costa Luminosa and Costa Pacifica – christened together on June 5 at a Guinness World Record event – and the Costa Deliziosa will be followed by the Costa Favolosa, due for delivery in summer 2011, and the Costa Fascinosa, which will make her debut in spring 2012. All 5 ships are Italian builds commissioned from Fincantieri, each one with the labor of around 3,000 people, comprising both the shipyard’s own employees and those of about 500 contracted suppliers, most of which are Italian firms.
(www.costacrociere.it)