Investor Relations

Costa Cruises Celebrates Float Out Of Costa Firenze At Fincantieri Shipyard In Marghera

Like her sister ship Costa Venezia, Costa Firenze is designed specifically for the Chinese market, where the Italian company was the first to start operating in 2006 and is currently the leader. The interiors of the ship are inspired by the city of Florence.  After her delivery scheduled on September 30, 2020, Costa Firenze will be heading to Singapore.

Marghera, November 6, 2019 – Costa Cruises, the Italian company of Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE: CCL; NYSE: CUK), the world’s largest leisure travel company, and Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri, one of the largest shipbuilding groups in the world, today celebrated the official float-out ceremony of Costa Firenze, Costa second ship designed and built specifically for the Chinese market. The ceremony was held at Fincantieri shipyard in Marghera, Italy, where the ship is being built with scheduled delivery on September 30, 2020, once the interior fittings have been completed.

Costa Firenze is the sister ship of Costa Venezia, built by Fincantieri at Monfalcone shipyard and launched in Trieste on March 1 this year. The projects for construction of the two ships require thousands of shipyard workers and ancillary employees. Employment benefits not only concerns the shipyards but, above all for the interior design, also external companies, most of which are Italian. 

With a gross tonnage of in at 135,500 tons, 323 meters in length and a capacity for over 5,200 guests, Costa Firenze and Costa Venezia are the biggest ship introduced by Costa to the Chinese market, where the Italian company was the first to start operating in 2006 and is currently the leader. They are part of an expansion plan that includes a total of 7 ships being delivered to the Costa Group by 2023, for a total investment of over 6 billion euros.

As part of today’s float-out ceremony, Costa Firenze officially reached the sea for the first time. The celebration followed the protocol provided by the seafaring tradition for such occasions, by flooding the basin where the ship took shape in recent months, following the cutting of the ribbon and the breaking of the bottle by the float-out ceremony’s godmother Franca Pierobon, an employee of Marghera shipyard.

“Costa Firenze is a further proof of Costa Cruises’ long-term commitment to China market” - stated Vanessa Li, Vice President Marketing of 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, which is enjoying great success, the arrival of Costa Firenze will help boost the development of Chinese cruise industry. The potential for future growth remains enormous: cruise travelers in China currently represent less than 2% of Chinese people who holiday abroad".

“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, Fincantieri General Manager Merchant Ships Division. “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 Crociere, which enhances the tradition of Italian manufacturing and know-how, projecting them towards other borders. Thanks to the effort of the Marghera shipyard, in a moment of exceptional growth of the cruise industry, we confirm our global leadership in this sector”.

Costa Firenze is inspired by the city of Florence, representing centuries of Italian culture and history. During the Costa Firenze cruises, guests together with their families and friends will have a chance to immerse themselves fully in Italian beauty and aesthetic, which will take shape in various aspects of life on board: from interior design to dining, from entertainment to hospitality. Like her sister ship Costa Venezia, Costa Firenze will offer a series of innovations designed specifically for the Chinese market.

After her delivery scheduled on September 30, 2020, Costa Firenze will be heading to Singapore, starting offering cruises for Chinese customers from October 20, 2020.

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The Costa Group is the leading cruise company in Europe and China, headquartered in Genoa (Italy). The 28 ships of the brands Costa Cruises, AIDA Cruises and Costa Asia together have a total capacity of more than 85,000 berths. The fleet will be further strengthened by 5 new vessels by 2023. The company has a global workforce of over 31,500 employees working onboard and in its 22 offices in 17 countries.

For further information:
Costa Cruises Press Office
Tel. +39 010 5483523 / 010 5483068 - costapressoffice@costa.it 
Gabriele Baroni – Communication Director – cell +39 349 7668013 - baroni@costa.it 
Davide Barbano – Media Relations Manager – cell +39 334 6525216 - barbano@costa.it 
Cristiano de Musso – Head of Communication – cell +39 334 6805095 demusso@costa.it
www.costapresscenter.com

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Fincantieri is one of the world’s largest shipbuilding groups and number one for diversification and innovation. It is leader in cruise ship design and construction and a reference player in all high-tech shipbuilding industry sectors, from naval to offshore vessels, from high-complexity special vessels and ferries to mega yachts, as well as in ship repairs and conversions, production of systems and mechanical and electrical component equipment and after-sales services. With over 230 years of history and more than 7,000 vessels built, Fincantieri has always kept its management offices, as well as all the engineering and production skills, in Italy.
With over 8,900 employees in Italy and a supplier network that employs nearly 50,000 people, Fincantieri has enhanced a fragmented production capacity over several shipyards into strength, acquiring the widest portfolio of clients and products in the cruise segment. To hold its own in relation to competition and assert itself at global level, Fincantieri has broadened its product portfolio becoming world leader in the sectors in which it operates.
With globalization, the Group has around 20 shipyards in 4 continents, over 19,000 employees and is the leading Western shipbuilder. It has among its clients the world’s major cruise operators, the Italian and the US Navy, in addition to several foreign navies, and it is partner of some of the main European defense companies within supranational programs. Fincantieri's business is widely diversified by end markets, geographical exposure and by client base, with revenue mainly generated from cruise ship, naval and Offshore and Specialized vessel construction. Compared with less diversified players, such diversification allows it to mitigate the effects of any fluctuations in demand on the end markets served.
www.fincantieri.com

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FINCANTIERI S.p.A. – Media Relations

FINCANTIERI S.p.A. – Investor Relations