The float-out of Costa Smeralda, an LNG powered 180 000 GT cruise ship, marks the beginning of the final stage of construction for this Italian style beauty engineered and constructed in Finland.
The ceremony today starts the outfitting phase in the ship’s construction. She will be finalized at the outfitting pier of Meyer Turku and be ready for delivery for Costa Cruises in October 2019. Costa Smeralda will be the first LNG powered cruise ship in the Costa fleet and one of the first ones to sail the seas. LNG usage will cut all small-particle and sulfur oxide emissions and significantly reduce nitrogen oxide and CO2 emissions of the ship.
“With LNG a breakthrough in fuel technology, Costa Smeralda represents a major innovation for the international market and an important step toward setting new standards for the entire sector. Costa Group is the market leader in Europe and China, and we continue to make sustainable tourism a key part of our industry leadership” says Neil Palomba, President of Costa Cruises.
Meyer Turku has been leading the LNG revolution in ship building for several years now, with already two LNG powered ships delivered.
“We have been very excited to bring our expertise in designing, engineering and construction of LNG ships in service for Costa Smeralda. This ship is also going to be a step up in ship size for us, as we are continuing our production ramp-up to two times the level of previous high for the shipyard”, CEO of Meyer Turku, Jan Meyer, says.
For the guests to enjoy:
Costa Smeralda will be a breathtaking ship and will take her guests on a “tour of Italy”.
The heart of the new flagship will be the Colosseo, a three-level area in the middle of the ship where the best shows are put on.
Piazza di Spagna, on the other hand, will be a large stairway on three decks facing astern:the ideal place for entertaining guests of all ages,
with an open-air balcony on the top deck that has a glass floor that gives you the impression of flying over the sea.
At the ship’s bow, Trastevere will be another piazza where guests can relax, chat and enjoy the experience of bars,shops and musical entertainment, all in one area.
The ship will not only be a feast for the eyes, but a feast for the taste buds too: Costa Smeralda will have eleven restaurants,
including the Teppanyaki, the Pummid’Oro Pizzeria, the family restaurant Tutti a Tavola, which will also offer many entertainment activities,
and the Laboratorio del Gusto (Taste Lab) where guests can enjoy making their dinner before dining.
On board Costa Smeralda there will be nineteen bars for guests where to relax and enjoy a drink at sea. Another amazing area onboard is the Spa,
with a beauty salon, hammam, thalasso therapy pool and sixteen treatment rooms. Fun for all ages will continue at the water park with its slides,
or at the multisport field, at the four swimming pools, at the theatre, disco, casino, jazz club piano bar and games room.
Kids will enjoy a fully dedicated area.
This beautiful ship will also have her very own onboard museum: the CoDe – Costa Design Museum, curated by Matteo Vercelloni, is dedicated to the excellence of Italian design and will feature many of the names that have contributed to the ship’s construction and its success.
“With the hull of the ship now completed, the next stage of the building process is proceeding to complete all these attractions and features, making sure at the same time that Smeralda will be a safe, reliable and comfortable ship to sail at sea. After the summer the commissioning and testing of the ships myriad of automatic systems will intensify both at the pier and at sea before delivery”, CEO Jan Meyer explains.
