Ship was christened in Trieste on 1 March after being delivered by Fincantieri on 28 February
By
Elly Yates-Roberts |
Costa Venezia has officially joined the Costa Cruises’ fleet after being delivered by Fincantieri on 28 February and christened during a ceremony in Trieste, Italy on 1 March.
Costa Cruises took delivery of the ship in the presence of Matteo Salvini, Deputy Prime Minister of Italy, and Edoardo Rixi, Deputy Minister of Infrastructure and Transport of Italy. The naming ceremony featured an air show by the Frecce Tricolori acrobatic team and a firework display.
“For us, Costa Venezia 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,” said Giuseppe Bono, CEO of Fincantieri. “As a consolidated industry leader, our contribution to the cruise industry, considering the units we delivered and those we have on order, will count on 143 ships in the coming years, with one cruise passenger in three sailing on our jewels.”
Designed for the Chinese market, Costa Venezia will depart for her preview cruise from Trieste on 3 March, sailing to Greece and Croatia. She will begin her inaugural cruise on 8 March, sailing for 53 days through the Mediterranean, Middle East, South East Asia and the Far East before docking in Tokyo, Japan. These cruises will be the only ones available to European and American guests, after which Costa Venezia will accommodate Chinese guests exclusively.
“The delivery of Costa Venezia is a further step in the growth of a strong and sustainable cruise industry in China, which someday, we believe will be the largest cruise market in the world,” said Arnold Donald, president and CEO of Carnival Corporation, parent company of Costa Cruises. “The growth of the Chinese cruise industry will continue to open the world to millions of Chinese travelers and bring ever increasing prosperity to its people."
Costa Smeralda will be the next ship to join Costa’s fleet, entering service in October 2019. A second exclusively Chinese ship is currently under construction at Fincantieri’s Marghera yard and is expected to be delivered in 2020.