The first steel was cut today at the Meyer Turku shipyard in Finland for the Costa Toscana, set for a 2021 debut and fueled by LNG. 

She will be a sister to the Costa Smeralda, which is nearing completion with the finishing touches being put to the interior fit-out at the same yard in Turku prior to her entry into service in October this year.

“Modern shipyard for modern ships. With the first Costa Cruises’ ship, Costa Smeralda, being delivered in October, both of these ships will have lots of beautiful design and interesting features – and, of course, very high quality work and best-in-industry engineering. We are very proud to build these ships for Costa,” said CEO of Meyer Turku Jan Meyer.

Costa Cruises President Neil Palomba said: “The steel-cutting ceremony for Costa Toscana is another step forward in our sustainable development plan. LNG propulsion for cruise ships is a major innovation, pioneering a new era in the use of low-carbon fuels that will significantly reduce exhaust emissions to help protect the environment without compromising on safety, in line with our top priorities. Once again, Costa Cruises is paving the way for the industry as a whole: in accordance with our global vision aimed at sustainable development, we were the first to invest in this technology, which is now really starting to take hold. However, a lot remains to be done in terms of the ready availability of gas bunkering infrastructure to ensure the seamless transition to LNG. The Costa Toscana and her sister ship Costa Smeralda may be highly innovative products, but they will retain that inimitable Italian hospitality that has been Costa Cruises’ hallmark since the brand’s inception, conveying the exhilaration of ocean travel and providing enhanced guest experiences for repeat and first-time cruisers alike.”

 The LNG-fueled Costa Smeralda and Costa Toscana are an integral part of the strategic plan for carbon footprint reduction, according to a statement, as defined by Carnival Corporation and fully implemented by Costa Cruises.

“In fact, the measures adopted by virtue of a dedicated investment plan enabled Carnival Corporation to meet its 25% carbon reduction goal for 2020 some three years ahead of schedule, with a 27.6% decrease in emissions from operations already achieved by 2018,” the company said.

The pair of ships are each around 180,000 tons with over 2,600 staterooms. 

The Costa Smeralda is set to make her debut on October 20, 2019, with a 15-day preview cruise from Hamburg to Savona.

The official naming of Costa Smeralda will be celebrated at a special ceremony on November 3 in Savona

The Costa Smeralda will be deployed in the Western Mediterranean through April 2021 on one-week cruises porting in Savona, Marseille, Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca, Civitavecchia and La Spezia. 

The Costa Toscana’s cruise program will be announced in the next few months, according to a statement.