Costa Firenze Floats Out at Fincantieri

Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri held an official float-out ceremony at its shipyard in Marghera for Costa Firenze, Costa Cruises’ second ship designed and built specifically for the Chinese market.

Costa Cruises is the Italian company of Carnival Corporation, the world’s largest leisure travel company.

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  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.

“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,” Matarazzo said.

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.