Costa Cruises’ new flagship the Costa Concordia has now been delivered by Fincantieri at its Sestri Ponente shipyard in Genoa. Weighing in at 112,000 gross tonnage and with total Guest capacity of 3780, the Costa Concordia is the largest cruise ship flying the Italian flag and the biggest European passenger vessel in terms of capacity.

“The delivery of the Costa Concordia,” said Costa Cruises President Gianni Onorato, “fills us with great pride and satisfaction - not just because she is the largest Italian and European ship. Her completion enables us to consolidate our leadership in Europe’s rapidly expanding market. This ship is a veritable showcase of innovation and state-of-the-art technology that will add to Costa’s competitive edge and set us even further apart from other tour operators.”

“To bear testimony to an intense, wide ranging relationship built over the years with Costa,” said Enrico Buschi, Fincantieri Merchant Ship General Manager. “We dedicated the output of our shipyard in Sestri Ponente (Genoa) to the fleet renewal program of Costa Cruises - five ships, starting in 2002. A strong link has since developed between the owner and the yard, underlining the deep rooted links of both Costa and Fincantieri with Genoa. To further sustain, within the agreed terms, the customer’s development plans, we assigned to Marghera shipyard the construction of a new-generation ship for the owner. The program for Costa is indeed remarkable for the investment and the commitment it entails, including repairs and upgrading recently completed on three vessels. It will enable us to continue building state-of-the-art vessels bearing testimony to the capacity of the Italian industry.”

Costa Cruises has invested 450 million euros in the building of the Costa Concordia. The delivery of the Costa Concordia brings to eleven the number of ships in the Costa fleet.

The Sestri Ponente yard will build two sister ships of the Costa Concordia: the Costa Serena, due to enter service in May 2007, and a second vessel which is still to be named and will be delivered in summer 2009. Meanwhile, an order has been placed at Fincantieri’s Marghera shipyard for a 92,700 gross tonnage cruise vessel, with an option for a sister ship; these running mates are expected to enter service in spring 2009 and fall 2010, respectively.

The total outlay for these four new orders amounts to approximately 2 billion euros (for four ships), which is part of a total investment of 4.5 billion euros made by Costa Crociere since 2000 for its fleet expansion and upgrading program. In 2010, with the delivery of the last ship on order, if the option is exercised, Costa Crociere’s fleet will consist of 15 vessels.

The christening of the ship will be held on July 7 in the port of Rome (Civitavecchia), with Eva Herzigova featuring as the godmother and Antonella Clerici as the Master of Ceremonies. The Costa Concordia will leave from Civitavecchia on her (5-day) premiere cruise on July 9. This will be followed by her 9-day maiden cruise, with departure again from Civitavecchia on July 14 and a stopover in Savona (July 15). During the 2006 summer season the Costa Concordia will be offering 7-day Mediterranean cruises calling at Savona, Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca, Tunis, Malta, Palermo and Civitavecchia.