Costa Toscana reaches penultimate construction milestone with sea trials
Costa Toscana has successfully passed all her sea trials and is now almost ready for delivery, with a second coin ceremony held onboard this week to mark her completion.
The second coin ceremony follows the completion of sea trials and means the ship is now all but ready to be handed over to Costa Cruises. When work first started on Costa Toscana, commemorative coins were placed under her hull to mark the laying of the keel, or the placement of the first building block.
Now that she has completed her sea trials and all minor issues have been rectified, a second coin ceremony was held, with the ship’s Captain Pietro Sinisi, and shipyard and cruise line management placing another coin on her mast. In traditional sailing ships, the stepping of the mast was the final stage of construction, and as the masts were raised, coins were nailed to them to bring good luck to passengers and crew.
The ancient tradition remains an important part of ship construction in European shipyards to this day. The ship is now due to be delivered to Costa Cruises by the Meyer shipyard in Turku (Finland) in December, 2021.
Costa Toscana, like her sister ship Costa Smeralda, is powered by liquefied natural gas, the marine industry’s most advanced fuel technology currently available for reducing emissions, both at sea and during port calls. She is the second Excellence-class mega ship for Costa Cruises, and the fifth overall for the Carnival Corporation group, which owns Costa Cruises and eight other cruise lines.
“These additional key steps in the completion of the Costa Toscana confirm our commitment to evolution towards an increasingly sustainable cruise model,” said Mario Zanetti, President of Costa Cruises.
“At the same time Costa Toscana, thanks to her excellent and innovative services, will be able to attract new cruise guests, helping us to consolidate our presence in the Mediterranean and our gradual restart plan,” he added. Costa Toscana’s first cruise will homeport from Savona, Italy, on March 5, 2022, with a week-long itinerary that includes Marseille, Barcelona, Valencia, Palermo and Civitavecchia/Rome.
She will remain in the Western Mediterranean throughout the year. During the summer season, Costa Toscana will call at Savona, Civitavecchia/Rome, Naples, Ibiza, Valencia and Marseille, while during the fall season Palma de Mallorca will replace Ibiza. Costa’s new flagship is a tribute to Tuscany, with a design by Adam D. Tihany. The furnishings, lighting, fabrics, and accessories are all be Made in Italy and designed specifically for the Costa Toscana.
The ship will feature a range of enhanced offerings, from the Solemio Spa to other areas dedicated to entertainment, from thematic coffee bars created in collaboration with major Italian brands, to the 16 restaurants and other dining areas.
The ship has 2,600 cabins decorated with Italian style and taste, the majority of which feature a balcony.
