| Costa recovery starts with new ships

The launch of Costa Fascinosa
and two newbuild orders are
anticipated to revive the
maligned company.
OPTIMISTIC executives believe that Costa
Cruises is on track for a better year following
the christening of its latest vessel, held at the
Fincantieri shipyard in Venice on Saturday.
“The delivery of Costa Fascinosa is an
important steppingstone on our company’s
road to recovery,” said chairman and ceo Pier
Luigi Foschi.
The US$665 million, 3,800-pax superliner,
which has 13 bars and five restaurants, is the
largest-ever Italian-flagged cruise
ship.
As the number-one travel
company in Italy, Costa’s choice of
godmother for Fascinosa – the
daughter of the federal tourism
minister – reflected the national
importance of the cruise line’s
success.
According to Foschi, Costa has
“bounced back”, with booking
volumes returning to the same
level recorded for this period last year.
The company has an even bigger 4,928-pax
‘Super Costa’ ship due for delivery in Oct 2014
and looks set to take up the option for a
second newbuild.
A focus on improved safety is also behind
the line’s comeback since the tragic sinking of
Costa Concordia on 13 Jan.
Plans include increased sharing of navigation
information between the captain and officers,
and changes that will allow more crew
members to issue orders.
“According to the new model, the captain
maintains intervention power as required by
law, but is no longer the only person who
issues orders,” a Costa document said.
Other safety measures include the
installation of real-time route-monitoring
systems on all Costa ships and restricted
access to the bridge during critical navigation
phases.
Passengers’ attendance at muster drills,
which are now to be conducted before leaving
port, will also be tracked through the use of
electronic cards.
Guests who miss the initial session will be
invited to attend a drill the following day.
For clients seeking further information, a
new website page called “Us for You” is now
available at www.costacruise.com, providing
details on the new safety measures, crew
training and ship maintenance.