Costa Group: Agreement with fincantieri to build two new ships for Costa Asia

The two ships will be built in Italy, with delivery in 2019 and 2020.

With this new agreement the Costa Group has eight new ships on order with a total capacity of 45,000 berths, bringing the total capacity of the fleet to 110,000 berths.

Genoa, December 30, 2015 – The Costa Group today announced an agreement with Fincantieri to build two new ships for Costa Asia brand, with final contracts expected to be executed in 2016. The ships, each with 135,500 gross tons and carrying 4,200 guests, will be manufactured in Italy. They will be specifically designed for the Chinese market, joining the fleet in 2019 and 2020.

Costa Asia new ships are part of a memorandum of agreement signed by Carnival Corporation & plc with Fincantieri to build four new ships by 2020 at the company’s shipyards in Monfalcone and Marghera, Italy.

The projects for the new ships are expected to employ thousands of shipyards workers and employees of allied industries in Italy. The benefits in terms of employment will extend beyond the yards, especially regarding the fitting-out of the interiors of the cruise ships, with the involvement of contracted suppliers, most of which are Italian firms.

Thanks to the new agreement announced today, the Costa Group has eight new ships on order with a total capacity of 45,000 berths (four for the German brand Aida Cruises; two for the Italian brand Costa Cruises; two for Costa Asia), bringing the total capacity of the fleet to 110,000 berths.

“We are happy to continue our long-standing strategic partnership with the Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri. This new investment is expected to create wealth and employment for the Italian country as a whole. As for Costa Diadema, the latest Costa ship built by Fincantieri and the best expression of Italy’s finest, also Costa Asia ships will feature an innovative Italian style design. In addition this new agreement will allow us to continue significantly build the Chinese cruise market, which will become the second largest in the world at the end of the decade” - said Michael Thamm, CEO of the Costa Group.

The Costa Group was the first cruise company to enter the Chinese market back in 2006. Three Costa ships are currently deployed in China and Asia year-round: Costa Atlantica, Costa Victoria and Costa Serena. A fourth ship, Costa Fortuna, will be added in April 2016. Costa cruises are marketed in China as “Italy at Sea”, offering an authentic Italian and European experience for Chinese guests, with high-quality hospitality, style, cuisine and entertainment.

The Costa Group is the leading cruise company in Europe. The 25 ships of the brands Costa Cruises, AIDA Cruises and Costa Asia together have a total capacity of 68,000 beds. The fleet will be further strengthened by 8 new vessels by 2020. The company has a global workforce of 27,000 employees working onboard and in its 20 offices in 14 countries.