Costa Cruises confirms Costa Toscana will be delivered in 2021
Just a few days after Carnival Corporation announced it would be delaying delivery of all but one of its 2021 newbuilds, its Costa Cruises brand floated out its latest Excel-class ships, Costa Toscana. Costa Cruises confirmed during the float out of Costa Toscana that she will be delivered in 2021, after parent company Carnival said it would take delivery of just one ship this year.
According to a press release from Costa, the ship will be delivered in December, 2021 and will debut in Brazil in the 2021/2022 season.“Despite the current challenging scenario, Costa Group is confirming its investment in fleet expansion,” said Mario Zanetti, Chief Commercial Officer of Costa Cruises and President of Costa Group Asia.
“We are confident in the recovery of our industry, and we are excited about the arrival of new ships like Costa Toscana, which embodies the elements we want to focus on for the future,” he added. Costa Toscana, like her sister ship Costa Smeralda, is based on the same design as fellow Carnival-owned ships Mardi Gras, Iona and AIDAnova.
All are powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG), the marine industry’s most advanced fuel technology currently available for reducing emissions, both at sea and during port calls.
Costa Smeralda and AIDAnova are part of an expansion plan for Costa Group that includes seven new ships to be delivered by 2023, for a total investment of more than six billion euros.
The cruise line is focusing on LNG technology, in addition to other innovative solutions, such as shore power and batteries, as part of its effort to achieve zero emissions in the coming years.
Costa Toscana will sail her inaugural New Year’s Eve cruise from Santos, Brazil on December 26th, 2021, with a week-long itinerary visiting Salvador and Ilhéus, and returning to Santos on January 2nd, 2022.
From January 2nd to April 10th, 2022, Costa Toscana will offer another 15 cruises with the same itinerary, embarking in Santos and Salvador. The 15 cruises also include the Carnival and Easter departures, which will be the ship’s last cruise before the Brazil-Italy crossing, departing from Santos on April 17th, 2022.
