Costa Smeralda passes LNG propulsion sea trials

‘The fueling of cruise ships with LNG is a safe and reliable technology, which is currently the most effective and feasible solution to ensure a significant reduction in the environmental impact of cruise ships in port and at sea,’ declared Neil Palomba, president of Costa Cruises.

Costa Smeralda was originally due in mid-October, a date set back to mid-November by the shipyard on Sept. 16 and then set back again in October for mid December.

Once the sea trials were finished, the ship returned to the Meyer shipyard in Turku, Finland, to complete interior outfitting.

December 21 maiden cruise

The first Costa Smeralda cruise will depart from Savona on December 21, 2019. The itinerary, which will be repeated until May 16, 2020, will include Savona (Saturday), Marseilles (Sunday), Barcelona (Monday), Palma de Mallorca (Tuesday), Civitavecchia (Thursday) and La Spezia (Friday).

On-baord 100% separate collection and recycling of materials such as plastic, paper, glass and aluminum will be part of an integrated approach aimed at the implementation of circular economy projects.

The new ship will also run the  4GOOFOOD program dedicated to the reduction of food waste and the recovery of surpluses for social purposes, with the innovation of the Restaurant LAB - Laboratory of Taste, to involve guests in an entertaining way in the field of food sustainability.