By
Alex Smith |
Costa Cruises celebrated the official float out of Costa Firenze at Fincantieri’s shipyard in Marghera, Italy on 6 November 2019.
The ship is the second Costa vessel to be designed and built specifically for the Chinese market. She is scheduled for delivery on 30 September 2020 once the interior fittings have been completed.
The traditional ceremony saw the ceremony’s godmother Franca Pierobon, an employee of Marghera shipyard, break a bottle of champagne before the dry building dock was flooded with water.
“Today we celebrate a milestone in the construction of Costa Firenze through which the ship owner will strengthen commitment in an emerging market,” said Luigi Matarazzo, general manager merchant ships division at Fincantieri. “For us, Costa Firenze is the emblem of what we are able to do and where we intend to arrive, but she is also the product of the historical partnership with Carnival Corporation and Costa Cruises, which enhances the tradition of Italian manufacturing and know-how, projecting them towards other borders.”
Costa Firenze is the sister ship of Costa Venezia, built by Fincantieri at Monfalcone shipyard and launched in Trieste on 1 March 2019. At 135,500gt, 323 metres in length and with capacity for over 5,200 passengers, the two ships are the biggest introduced by Costa to the Chinese market, where the company was the first to start operating in 2006. They form part of an expansion plan that includes a total of seven new ships to be delivered to Costa by 2023, at an investment of over €6 billion (US$6.65 billion).
“Costa Firenze is further proof of Costa Cruises’ long-term commitment to the Chinese market,” said Vanessa Li, vice president of marketing for Costa Group Asia. “We aim to bring the beauty of the Italian lifestyle to Chinese guests, offering them an authentic Italian vacation experience. Together with Costa Venezia, the arrival of Costa Firenze will help boost the development of the Chinese cruise industry. The potential for future growth remains enormous, with cruise travellers in China representing less than 2% of Chinese people who holiday abroad.”
After her delivery Costa Firenze will be heading to Singapore, where she will be offering cruises for Chinese customers from 20 October 2020.