By
Alex Smith |
The naming ceremony of Costa Smeralda has been held in Savona, Italy, with the celebrations featuring actress and model Penélope Cruz.
As Costa Smeralda’s godmother, Cruz broke the traditional champagne bottle against the ship’s bow alongside the vessel’s master, Paolo Benini. The celebration also featured Italian chef Bruno Barbieri, who presented a specially designed gala dinner.
The event continued with a display of acrobatics in ‘Dream’, a show produced by Viktor Klee and staged in the ship’s theatre, the Colosseo. The festivities concluded with a firework display launched from in front of the Priamar Fortress in the city’s harbour.
Costa Smeralda is intended by Costa Cruises to be a tribute to Italy, with all the furnishings, lighting, fabrics and upholstery made in the country by 15 of the cruise line’s partners. A showcase of Italian design is featured in the Costa Design Museum, the first museum onboard a cruise ship. The ship also includes 16 restaurants, the Solemio Spa and theme bars designed in collaboration with leading Italian brands.
“The naming of a new ship is always very exciting – especially in the case of Costa Smeralda, because she is an unprecedented project,” said Neil Palomba, president of Costa Cruises. “A cruise holiday on this ship allows our guests to enjoy memorable experiences both onboard and onshore – whether it is the food, relaxation, high-tech entertainment or authentic encounters in the destinations we visit.”
The vessel is powered by LNG and is the second of five LNG-fuelled ships ordered by the Costa Group as part of its €6 billion (US$6.49 billion) expansion plan. The ship also features several desalination plants onboard, processing seawater directly to meet daily water supply requirements, while a ‘4GoodFood’ programme has been designed in cooperation with the European Federation of Food Banks to reduce food wastage and recover food surpluses.
“This ship is the perfect combination of Italian excellence, which is the key heritage of the Costa brand, and sustainable innovation, for an unforgettable vacation experience,” said Michael Thamm, CEO of Costa Group. As the market leader in Europe, we are committed to be the first to introduce environmental innovation and lead the way in sustainable cruising for the cruise industry. We were the first company to invest in LNG and we are currently working to develop other sustainable technologies such as battery storage, fuel cells and liquefied gas from renewable energy sources.”
Costa Smeralda entered service on December 21, 2019. She is now sailing on a one-week western Mediterranean itinerary, including calls at Marseille, France, and Barcelona, Spain.