by Donald Wood
Last updated: 8:57 AM ET, Fri December 6, 2019
After multiple delays, Costa Cruises announced it has finally taken the delivery of the brand's first ship powered by liquefied natural gas, the Costa Smeralda.
When it was handed over during a ceremony at the Meyer shipyard in Turku, Finland, the Costa Smeralda became Carnival Corporation's fourth new vessel of 2019 and its second LNG-powered ship.
Costa Smeralda is the first of two new sister ships for Costa Cruises that can be powered in port and at sea by LNG, with the Costa Toscana currently scheduled to be delivered in 2021. In total, Carnival has an additional nine next-generation LNG-powered cruise ships on order.
"Costa Smeralda will be a further boost to the use of LNG in cruise ships, a technology our company has pioneered in the cruise sector," Costa Cruises president Neil Palomba said in a statement. "It is an exciting evolution in maritime transport, as it guarantees a significant reduction in our environmental impact."
"Costa Smeralda is a significant product innovation as well, with Italian hospitality remaining a fundamental and distinctive element of our brand, able to enchant and excite not only new cruise passengers but also more experienced ones," Palomba continued.
The new ship incorporates a series of cutting-edge technological innovations, including onboard desalination systems, LED lights, the ability to recover heat generated by the engines, an innovative hull design and elevators that recover energy by regenerating it into the electricity system.
Costa Smeralda is scheduled to make calls to Marseille on December 19 and Savona on December 20, as part of three presentations with travel agents. On December 21, the new vessel will depart Savona for its maiden voyage, a week-long cruise calling on Marseille, Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca, Civitavecchia and La Spezia.
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