Costa Smeralda, the Costa Cruises’new flagship, officially entered service on December 20 in Savona. It is the first ship in the Costa fleet to use liquefied natural gas both in port and at sea. The Lng – fossil fuel with low environmental impact that represents an innovation for the entire cruise sector – allows to improve air quality and protect the environment, almost totally eliminating sulfur oxide emissions (zero emissions) and particulate matter (95-100% reduction), and significantly reducing nitrogen oxide emissions (direct reduction of 85%) and Co2 (reduction of up to 20%).
Costa Smeralda has a gross tonnage of over 180 thousand tons and was built in the Meyer shipyard in Turku (Finland). The ship makes 7-day itineraries departing from Savona touching Marseille, Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca, Civitavecchia and La Spezia.
In Costa Smeralda
It is a real itinerant smart city. In addition to the novelty of liquefied natural gas, the ship in fact has cutting-edge technological innovations. The entire daily water requirement is met by transforming that of the sea directly, using desalters. Energy consumption is reduced to a minimum thanks to intelligent energy efficiency. In addition, a further process of plastic rationalization will start on the ship. A program that will cover the entire fleet to reduce plastic consumption by over 50 tons per year, anticipating the objectives of the European Directive. Onboard there will be 100% separate collection and recycling of materials such as plastic, paper, glass and aluminium.
There is also great attention to food, with the 4GOODFOOD program, dedicated to the reduction of food waste and the recovery of surpluses for social purposes. Costa Smeralda will also offer the novelty of the LAB Restaurant, to engage guests in a fun way in the context of food sustainability.
On an aesthetic and functional level, Costa Smeralda is the result of a creative project curated by Adam D. Tihany to enhance and allow to live the best of Italy in a single location. To get this, he made use of the collaboration of an international pool of four architectural firms – Dordoni Architetti, Rockwell Group, Jeffrey Beers International, and Partner Ship Design – who designed the different areas of the ship. Furnishings, lighting, fabrics and accessories are “made in Italy”.
Italian design is also the protagonist in the CoDe – Costa Design Museum, the first museum built on a cruise ship. The onboard offer proposes: Solemio Spa; areas dedicated to entertainment, such as the Colosseum with screens for high-tech shows; thematic bars – in collaboration with major Italian brands; 16 restaurants and food experience areas, including the novelty of the restaurant dedicated to families with children. The “Adagio Tour” will also be available on the Costa Smeralda, a project born from the collaboration with Aism (Italian Multiple Sclerosis Association) and the Costa Crociere Foundation: group excursions that allow you to visit destinations with milder rhythms and more time available, particularly indicated for people with motor disabilities, parents with children in pushchairs, elderly guests.
