Costa Serena News

As many as 91 crew of an Italian cruise ship docked in the Japanese port of Nagasaki are infected with coronavirus, officials said on Friday, as questions persist over how they might return to their home countries.Authorities have tested about half the vessel’s crew of 623 and are racing to screen the rest. Those who test negative will be repatriated, the government said.The vessel, the Costa Atlantica, was taken into a shipyard in Nagasaki in February for repairs and maintenance after the pandemic prevented its scheduled repairs in China.Earlier this year, more than 700 of its passengers and crew tested positive for the virus on the Diamond Princess cruise liner as it was docked in Yokohama.Nagasaki authorities quarantined the Costa Atlantica on arrival in Japan…

Fincantieri's Monfalcone shipyard handed over Costa Venezia - built specially for Chinese guests - to Costa Cruises, the Italian brand of Carnival Corporation, the world's largest cruise company.The handover took place yesterday in the presence of Italy's Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Matteo Salvini and Deputy Minister of Infrastructure and Transport Edoardo Rixi, as well as Carnival Corp. & plc and Costa Group officials.With a gross tonnage of 135,500 tonnes, the 323-meter-long Costa Venezia offers 2,116 cabins for a total of 5,260 passengers and will be the largest among Costa's fleet in China.The ship is part of an expansion plan that includes 7 new ships arriving for the Costa Group by 2023…

Costa Group – part of Carnival Corporation & plc, the world’s largest cruise company – announced that its new generation ships, the first LNG powered at sea, will call Marseille in 2019. The Costa Group, the leading tourism group, the No. 1 cruiser in Europe has renovated its commitment to Port of Marseille through different initiatives that began in 1996 when the new cruise called “La Dolce Vita” started its weekly operations from Marseille to offer the French guests every Saturday a brand new and unique experience in the best places of the Mediterranean onboard its ship Costa Romantica. This new offer launched by Costa contributed to the French people being more and more interested in experiencing a cruise vacation.

After an uneven couple of years punctuated by struggling economic factors worldwide, maturing markets and some highly publicized accidents and illnesses, the cruise industry is hoping to find a little “double happiness” from the rapidly growing Chinese market – enhanced profits and renewed market growth for both operators and builders. For its part, the Chinese government is betting on a triple payout:  it hopes to serve a growing middle class (estimated at a potential 300 million market) and its desire for cruising vacations…

Carnival Corporation adds new ships in China to further expand its market, growing its capacity in China by 140 percent from 2013 - 2015. Costa Serena – set to sail out of Shanghai in April 2015 – joins Costa Victoria, Costa Atlantica and Sapphire Princess to make Carnival Corporation the first global cruise company with four ships based in China. Carnival Corporation & plc announced Costa Serena will deploy year-round in China next year, making Carnival Corporation the first global cruise company with four ships based in China, the world’s fastest-growing cruise market.

Costa Cruises has received the ABB Energy Efficiency Award 2009 in recognition of its efforts and progress in improving energy efficiency in its motor and drive systems. The prize was presented as part of “Energy Efficiency Award 2009. Designing and achieving energy efficiency: new conversations”, an event promoted and arranged by Abb Sace, a division of ABB Spa, and hosted by Mario Tozzi, an outstanding Italian science divulger. In addition to Costa Cruises’ project, the initiatives implemented by the other two prize-winning Italian enterprises – Fiat Auto and Fiorucci, leaders in the vehicle manufacturing and food industries, respectively – were also illustrated at the ceremony.

Costa Cruises, a tourism group based in Italy, announced that in the space of three months five Costa ships were dry-docked to carry out scheduled maintenance. Costa Cruises has invested around $28m in this planned maintenance work. Operations were carried out on the Costa Serena, the Costa Europa, the Costa Atlantica (in Palermo), the Costa Romantica (in Genoa) and the Costa Concordia (in Trieste) from the end of October 2008 to the end of January 2009. In particular, the Costa Serena (114,500 gross tonnage and guest capacity of 3780), the company’s flagship, was the last Costa ship to be dry-docked from 28 January to 11 February 2009 in Fincantieri’s Palermo shipyard. Two of the key improvements being made on the Costa Serena are specific shipboard energy and fuel-saving measures.

The project, which is the result of the collaboration between Telesal, Costa Cruises, Genoa’s Galliera Hospital, the C.I.R.M. and D’Apollonia, has premiered at the Telemedicine Conference in Rome. The experimental phase, which will be carried out on board the Italian line’s flagship Costa Concordia starting in early 2009, will enable the future real-time delivery of clinical care 24 hours a day even on the high seas. Europe’s first ever experiment in maritime telemedicine on board a large passenger ship has premiered at the Telemedicine Conference held at Rome’s Ospedale San Giovanni Calibita, Fatebenefratelli. The project is the result of the collaboration between Italy and Europe’s number one cruise line Costa Cruises…

Costa Crociere, the leading cruise line in Italy and Europe, has announced an order for two new 114,200-ton ships to be delivered in 2011 and 2012. Costa Crociere S.p.a, the Italian subsidiary of Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE: CCL; NYSE CUK), signed an agreement with Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri for the construction of the two new vessels at an all-in cost of approximately €1 billion (€510 million per ship). The two new ships will be built at Fincantieri's Marghera shipyard and be sister ships to the Costa Concordia, Costa Serena and Costa Pacifica, the latter of which is currently being built at Fincantieri’s Sestri Ponente shipyard. The new ships will each be able to accommodate 3,780 passengers in total (including all upper berths) or 3,012 guests based on double occupancy.

The Costa Serena, the largest passenger ship flying the Italian flag, is about to become a film set. Costa Crociere's most recent flagship, the largest ship in the whole fleet (290 meters in length, 69.4 meters in height, 13 decks), recently delivered by the builder Fincantieri, has been chosen by Aurelio & Luigi De Laurentiis' Filmauro, an Italian film production company, as the location for “Natale in crociera,” their eagerly-awaited film for the forthcoming Christmas season. The film is set to be released in December.

Pictured is Micky Arison, Chairman and CEO Carnival Corporation & plc and Pier Luigi Foschi,Chairman & CEO Costa Crociere. The latest addition to the Costa Crociere fleet, is Costa Serena, a ship inspired by the gods of Classical Mythology. Costa Serena was delivered by Fincantieri at its Sestri Ponente shipyard in Genoa. Like her sister ship Costa Concordia, which entered service in July 2006, the Costa Serena is the largest passenger ship flying the Italian flag and the largest European liner in terms of capacity: 114,000 gross tonnage, 292 meters in length and accommodation for up to 3780 Guests in 1500 cabins. “The delivery of the Costa Serena,” announced Costa Crociere SpA Group Chairman & CEO Pier Luigi Foschi, “fills us with great pride and satisfaction.

Costa Crociere’s new flagship will be christened on May 19 in Marseilles. The ship’s godmother will be actress Marion Cotillard, while the master of ceremonies will be Gerard Holtz, a French television journalists. The young Chef Pascal Barbot, with three Michelin stars, in a joint effort with Italian Chef Ettore Bocchia, will whip up magical delicacies during the gala dinner for about 1,200 guests. Three major French stars” will play the leading roles in the christening of the Costa Serena, the new flagship of Costa Crociere and Italian seafaring (114,000 dwt and a capacity of 3,780 passengers), undergoing the final fitting out stages at the Fincantieri shipyard in Genoa. Costa Crociere’s new flagship will be the first cruiser to be christened in Marseilles.

Costa Crociere is both a historical cruise company in France, having had a presence there since the 1950s, and also the market leader, accounting for over 50% of French cruisers (120,000 Guests in 2006). The number of Costa Crociere’s French Guests has almost quadrupled since 1993. With this position on the French market, Costa has also built its success on an important partnership with Marseilles. Rocketing growth in recent years shows that French people are more aware of and keener on cruise holidays. Costa Crociere saw its recall rates rise from 5% in 1993 to 75% in 2006 (from a TNS, Infratest survey in September 2006). Costa Cruises ranks fourth in assisted recall tests among French travellers and cruisers…

The Costa Serena, the new Costa Crociere flagship, has come back to Fincantieri’s yard in Sestri Ponente (Genoa) at the end of her sea trials. The running tests on the ship’s systems, machinery and engines, which were performed during the first open sea navigation of the ship, were completed successfully. The delivery of the ship is scheduled for May 15, 2007. The new flagship will make her first official “public” appearance on May 19 with the christening event in Marseilles. Also planned is a Mediterranean tour of presentation involving more than 6000 travel agents from all over the world (from Europe to the Americas and the Far East). The tour will include calls in Savona (May 17), Marseilles (May 20), Palermo (May 22 & 23) and Venice (May 25).

Costa Serena, will be inaugurated in Marseille on May 19, 2007. tradition of inaugural events. Fincantieri's Genoa- Sestri Ponente shipyard. service at the end of May. encouraging operating performance. 6,900,000, while the ship occupancy rate increased by 2% to reach 107%. Italian flag. feature 1,500 cabins with a total guest capacity of 3,780. Costa Serena is due to enter service at the end of May 2007. most advanced. capacity of approximately 20,500 lower berths in double occupancy cabins. delivery in summer 2009. March 2010. program worth almost 4.5 billion euros, which began in 2000. and have total capacity of over 30,800 passengers.

The Italian company Costa Crociere SpA, announced has exercised an option with Fincantieri for the construction of a new 92,700 gross tonnage cruise ship. The new ship, which is scheduled for delivery in March 2010, will be built at Fincantieri’s Marghera shipyard, at an all-in cost of approximately 420 million euros. The vessel will have 2,260 lower passenger berths and a total of 1,130 cabins, 772 (68%) of which with private verandas, this being the highest percentage of veranda cabins in the whole Costa fleet. She will be the sister ship of another 92,700-tonner, already announced, also to be built in Marghera and scheduled to enter service in spring 2009.

The fore end section of the Costa Serena arrived in Fincantieri’s Sestri Ponente shipyards in Genoa recently. The Costa Serena is the second of Costa Crociere’s three new sister ships due to enter service over the next four years. The fore end section of the new building is about 91 m in length and 3,200 gt. It left the Palermo yard, where it was assembled, on February 1, and will now be placed in the building graving-dock at the Sestri Ponente yard; there, it will be fitted to the aft end section of the ship, which is currently under construction. The cut of the first plates of Costa Serena started in April 2005. The Costa Serena is the second of three 112…

Hamburg-based SAM Electronics has been commissioned to supply seven new cruise ships building in Italian and German yards with proprietary NACOS 65-5 integrated navigation command systems featuring radar-controlled track pilots, Ecdis and other sensors. Among vessels to be equipped with a bridge system will be Cunard’s 89,500-gt Queen Victoria, presently under construction at Fincantieri’s Venice yard for delivery next year; accommodating 1968 passengers, the luxury vessel will be the second largest cruiseship to be built for Cunard. Other Fincantieri-yard newbuildings due to be fitted with Series 65-5 configurations are Costa Crociere’s 112,000-gt Costa Serena, Princess Cruises’ 116,000-gt Emerald Princess and P&O Cruises’ 116,000-gt Ventura.

Costa Crociere announced the name of its new ship, which will join the fleet in May 2007. The ship was named Costa Serena during a ceremony of the laying of the first building block for the ship in the dock at Fincantieri’s Sestri Ponente shipyards in Genoa. This first block, an aft section, measures 55.7 ft. (17 m) long and 72 ft. (22 m) wide, weighing around 500 tons. Like sister ship Costa Concordia, which is currently under construction at Sestri Ponente and is due for delivery in July 2006, Costa Serena will be Italy’s largest cruise ship: 112,000 gt, 951 ft. (290 m) long with 1500 cabins for 3780 passengers. Costa Crociere has invested more than $1 billion on the building of the Costa Serena and Costa Concordia.