On July 30th, in the Meyer shipyard of Turku in Finland, the Costa Cruises held the steel cutting ceremony for the new green unit Costa Toscana.
This is the second of two twin ships that will use liquefied natural gas (LNG) both in port and at sea, which is the cleanest fossil fuel in the world.
There is not much job left for the first of the two: Costa Smeralda is currently in the final stages of construction at the Turku shipyard and will enter the service this October. As for Costa Toscana, we have to wait for 2021 instead.
The use of liquefied natural gas is in fact a turning point in terms of minimizing environmental impact. The fuel, almost totally eliminating the emissions of sulfur oxides (zero emissions) and particulate matter (95-100% reduction), will in fact be able to improve air quality. Furthermore, it will also reduce nitrogen oxide emissions (direct reduction of 85%) and Co2 (reduction up to 20%). The LNG will be stored in special tanks on board ships and used to produce the energy needed for navigation and on-board services, thanks to dual-fuel hybrid engines. Costa Smeralda and Costa Toscana follow the strategic carbon-footprint reduction plan defined by Carnival Corporation and implemented by Costa Cruises.
“The LNG propulsion applied to cruise ships is destined to mark a transformation path, as it guarantees a reduction of the environmental impact without compromising the safety aspects,” the General Manager of Costa Cruises Neil Palomba explained, “Costa Toscana and the sister Costa Smeralda represent a significant innovation at the product level, in which Italian hospitality remains central.”
With a gross tonnage of over 180 thousand tons, Costa Smeralda and Costa Toscana will have over 2,600 cabins each, many with balconies, 11 restaurants, 19 bars, a Spa and an Aqua Park with swimming pools, water slides and areas for little kids.
“A modern shipyard for modern ships,” said Jan Meyer, CEO of the Meyer shipyard in Turku, “Both of these two ships will have a beautiful design and many interesting features and they are the result of great quality and the best industrial engineering.”