WATCH: Costa Toscana Float Out Ceremony

A fresh layer of snow covered the ground at the Meyer shipyard in Turku, Finland today as Costa Cruises held a float out ceremony for their newest ship. Costa Toscana is named for the Tuscany region of Italy and is the third ship of the Costa Group powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG). The ship will enter service in December of 2021. Watch the video of the ceremony below! 

A “Smart City” at Sea 

The designers of the ship wanted to create an environment on board that practiced sustainability and environmentally-friendly concepts. The benefits of using LNG include eliminating much of the sulfur dioxide emissions and particulate matter into the atmosphere. LNG also significantly reduces emissions of nitrogen oxides and carbon dioxide. A series of desalination plants means seawater is used for the daily water supply and energy usage will be reduced because of an intelligent energy efficiency system. 

Costa Toscana under construction in Finland

“Despite the current challenging scenario, Costa Group is confirming its investment in fleet expansion. We are confident in the recovery of our industry, and we are excited about the arrival of new ships like Costa Toscana, which embodies the elements we want to focus on for the future,” said Mario Zanetti, chief commercial officer of Costa Cruises and president of Costa Group Asia. “First of all, it is an excellent and innovative ship, attractive for new customers, which is going to be fundamental, especially when people will be able to freely travel again and will have a great desire for holidays. Looking beyond the pandemic, the second element we are focusing on is to complete the transformation of our fleet and operations into a sustainable model. In addition to LNG technology, we are developing other innovative solutions, such as shore power and batteries, as we continue to work towards achieving zero emissions over time.”

The interior of the ship was designed by world-class creative director Adam D. Tihany, who has worked on a number of Costa and Carnival Corporation brand ships throughout his career. The ship features 16 restaurants, 2,600 cabins and a centrally-located Colosseo, the 3-story entertainment venue. 

Costa Toscana will debut in Brazil in December for the 2021-22 season. The inaugural New Year’s Eve cruise will depart from Santos on Dec. 26, 2021, with a week-long itinerary visiting Salvador and Ilhéus, and returning to Santos on Jan. 2, 2022.