New Costa Flagship Launched at Fincantieri Shipyard

The 'Costa Diadema', the future flagship of Costa Cruises & of the Italian-flagged passenger fleet, entered the water for the first time as the building dry-dock was flooded, and a traditional launching ceremony was held at the Fincantieri shipyard in Marghera.

The Costa Diadema’s technical launch ceremony was carried out according to seafaring tradition. It started with the welding of a coin at the base of what was once the mainmast, a custom considered to bring good luck. Then, the shipyard director Antonio Quintano invited the godmother, Ms. Franca Grasso, to cut the ribbon and break a bottle of champagne against the bow of the ship.

Once the work to fit out her interiors has been completed, the Costa Diadema (132,500 gross tonnage and 1,862 guest cabins) will be delivered on October 30, 2014.  Costa Cruises has invested a total of around 550 million euro in the construction of the new cruise ship.

Costa Crociere S.p.A. CEO Michael Thamm commented: “The Costa Diadema will be our new flagship and our tangible commitment to the future success and growth of our Company.  She is the 10th cruise ship built in Italy by Fincantieri for Costa since 2000, with a total investment worth almost 5 billion euro.  This investment creates wealth and employment for the country as a whole – not only during the building, but also when the ships are in service.  The Costa Diadema’s winter itinerary will include 3 ports in Italy:  Savona, Civitavecchia and La Spezia.  At the same time, thanks to her innovative features, the Costa Diadema will open up new horizons for Costa.”