Costa Smeralda: Cruising the environment friendly way

Costa Cruises, the Italian brand of Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE: CCL; NYSE: CUK), one of the world’s largest leisure travel company and cruise operator, will be awaiting the arrival of Costa Smeralda in October 2019, the first Costa ship to be fuelled, both at port and while at sea by liquefied natural gas (LNG), the cleanest fossil fuel in the world.

She will represent an environmental breakthrough that will improve air quality by preventing emissions of particulate matter and sulfur oxides almost entirely at sea and in port. It also significantly reduces the emission of nitrogen oxides and carbon dioxide. Costa Smeralda and its sister ship, to be launched in 2021, will contribute to the ambitious sustainability goals, such as reducing its carbon footprint of 25 per cent by 2020, set by Costa and Carnival Corporation.

Costa Group (which includes Costa Cruises, AIDA Cruises and Costa Asia) along with the sister brands within Carnival Corporation’s global portfolio, has been an industry leader in promoting and developing sustainable and environmental solutions. In addition to the use of LNG for cruise ships, Costa Group and Carnival Corporation’s global cruise brands have pioneered the use of Advanced Air Quality System (AAQS) in the small confines of a cruise ship.

Considered an environmental breakthrough, AAQS is already installed on over 70 per cent of ships in the Costa Group and Carnival Corporation fleet. The use of LNG and AAQS both play an important role in further improving the impact of Costa Group’s marine operations.

Nalini Gupta, Managing Director, Lotus Destinations, Representative of Costa Cruises in India, said, “We are excited to introduce Costa Smeralda which will represent a major innovation for the international market and an important step toward setting new standards for the entire sector, with LNG being a breakthrough in fuel technology. Costa will continue to make sustainable tourism a fundamental part of its industry leadership.”

The ship's name, Costa Smeralda, recalls one of the most beautiful tourist destinations in Sardinia (Emerald Coast), as well as the names of the decks and public areas dedicated to famous places and squares of Italy. The ship will feature 11 restaurants, 19 bars, spa area with 16 treatment rooms, a water park with slides, four swimming pools and an area fully dedicated to kids.

Costa Smeralda will also have her very own Costa Design Museum, “The CoDe,” dedicated to the excellence of Italian design. Starting November 2019 Costa Smeralda will sail in the Western Mediterranean until April 2021, on one-week cruises calling at Savona, Marseille, Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca, Civitavecchia and La Spezia. Cruises on Costa Smeralda are now available for bookings.