Costa Serena Launched

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Great day. :)

 

4/8/2006

Less than a month after the debut of its new flagship Costa Concordia, christened on July 7 in Civitavecchia,

sistership Costa Serena was floated out at Fincantieri’s Sestri Ponente shipyards in Genoa earlier today.

The ship was blessed by Monsignor Luigi Molinari, employment delegate for the Archdiocese of Genoa, whilst yard

director Attilio Dapelo invited the godmother, yard employee Milena Peri, to cut the ribbon and the bottle of

champagne duly broke against the bow of the ship.

‘It’s very exciting for us to be back here in Genoa, confirming our growth and our partnership with Fincantieri,’

said Costa Crociere chairman and ceo Pier Luigi Foschi. ‘Less than a month after the entry into service of the Costa

Concordia, the launch of the Costa Serena is a further step forward in the development of our company as we aim to

expand in Europe and worldwide.’

Fincantieri chairman Corrado Antonini added: ‘The launch of the Costa Serena is an important stepping stone in the

newbuilding programme that Costa has entrusted to us over the last few years.’

Costa Serena will undergo fitting out in time for entry into service which is scheduled for May 2007. Costa’s new

flagship will depart from Venice on her maiden cruise on May 26, 2007. From June to November next year the 112,000gt

ship will sail weekly cruises from Venice with stopovers in Bari, Olympia (Greece), Izmir and Istanbul (Turkey), and

Dubrovnik (Croatia).

Costa Serena will feature the same innovations as Concordia including Samsara Spa, the largest wellness center ever

built on a cruise ship (over 2,100sq mtr), a Grand Prix driving simulator and two swimming pools under a retractable

glass roof.

In addition to Costa Serena, Fincantieri has three more newbuilds for Costa: a third sistership to Concordia and

Serena, which is still to be named and will be delivered in the spring of 2009, plus a 92,700gt vessel (with option)

under construction at Marghera shipyard for delivery in spring 2009 and fall 2010, respectively. The total outlay

for these four orders amounts to almost €2bn.