Costa Esmeralda successfully conducted its sea trials powered by LNG, being the first cruise ship to join the company that runs on LNG, representing an innovation in the cruise sector and highlighting the industry’s efforts in becoming greener and more sustainable.
Specifically, Costa Esmeralda is the second cruise ship globally, after AIDAnova, to run on LNG both when in port and when sailing at sea.
During the sea trials, which began on November 16, the vessel conducted a series of trials to verify the efficient operation of systems, equipment and engines with LNG propulsion.
Neil Palomba, President of Costa Cruises commented that
The fueling of cruise ships with LNG is an innovation in which we were the first to believe five years ago, when we ordered the Costa Smeralda, setting an example for the sector which has since been followed by other companies.
He further added that LNG is a safe and reliable technology, which is currently the most effective and feasible solution to ensure a significant reduction in the environmental impact of cruise ships in port and at sea
When the vessel finalized its trials, it sailed back to the Meyer shipyard in Turku, Finland, to complete the interior layout.
The first Costa Smeralda cruise will depart from Savona on December 21, 2019, after delays that shipbuilder Meyer Turku assigned to “the high complexity and the sheer size of the ship project.”
Concluding, Costa Cruises celebrated the first steel-cutting for Costa Toscana, the company’s second ship that can be powered in port and at sea by liquefied natural gas in July 2019.
