COSTA CRUISES: FIRST LNG REFUELING FOR A CRUISE SHIP IN DUBAI
While on her winter season of cruises in the United Arab Emirates, the Costa Smeralda,
flagship of the Costa fleet, received her liquefied natural gas refueling in Dubai.
This is the first LNG cruise ship refueling at Dubai port.
Genoa, January 8 2025 – On Saturday, January 4th, the Costa Smeralda, flagship of the Costa
fleet and sistership to Costa Toscana, has successfully completed her first liquefied natural
gas (LNG) refueling in the port of Dubai. This is the first time for a Liquified Natural Gas
refuel operations to a cruise ship ever conducted at Dubai port, which was made possible
thanks to Monjasa, the logistics provider and the cooperation of the Dubai Port Authority.
The “Green Zeebrugge” tanker ship filled Costa Smeralda's three tanks with a total of around
3,000 cubic meters of LNG. All three are installed in specific protected spaces and built with
steel called "cryogenic", specially insulated material to maintain constant temp of -155
degrees to cool the LNG to its liquid state for use to power the ship’s engines. With one
complete LNG tank filling, Costa Smeralda can be powered for at least 2.5 weeks.
The use of LNG in the cruise sector is currently the best readily available fuel to deliver
immediate GHG emission reductions in the absence of market-ready zero-emission fuels for
the maritime industry. LNG is considered among the cleanest fossil fuels because – in addition
to reducing direct carbon emissions by up to 20% – it almost totally avoids emissions of
nitrogen oxide, sulfur oxide and particulate matter. LNG provides a viable step along the
pathway to net-zero emissions from ship operations by 2050. It offers a roadmap to future fuels
and propulsion technologies like bio LNG (biomethane) and other renewable fuels when they
become available.
Moreover, Costa Smeralda presents a number of additional sustainability innovations. The
entire daily supply of fresh water for the ship is met by transforming sea water using
desalinators. Energy consumption is minimized thanks to an intelligent energy efficiency
system based on optimization and conversion of resources to improve onboard energy-saving
technologies that deliver an average of 5-6% fuel savings per ship 100% separate waste
collection and recycling of materials such as plastic, paper, glass and aluminum are carried
out on board, which are part of an integrated approach aimed at implementing circular
economy projects.
“Costa, as part of Carnival Corporation, is committed to leading the way in sustainable
cruising. After being the first to introduce LNG in cruises, together with our sister brand AIDA
Cruises, we are now also the first cruise line to use this technology in Dubai – stated Giuseppe
Carino, Sea-Land Experience Operations Senior Vice President - On this direction, we are also
developing the shore power technology on our fleet, and working on biofuels, new technologies
and alternative fuels”.
Costa Smeralda reached Dubai on December 21st after her positioning cruise circumnavigating
Africa from the Mediterranean. Until the end of February 2025, the ship will be on her winter
season in the Emirates offering one-week cruises from Dubai with an itinerary exploring also
Muscat (Oman) Doha (Qatar) and Abu Dhabi.
On March 1st, 2025 Costa Smeralda will depart from Dubai and she will return to the
Mediterranean through a 37-day long cruise with planned calls in Oman, Mauritius, South
Africa, Namibia, Canary Island, Morocco, Spain, France (Corsica) and arrival in Genoa
scheduled on April 7th, 2025. Cruises towards Emirates and from Emirates to the Med with
Costa Smeralda are available for bookings.
For additional information:
Costa Cruises Press Office
Vanessa Saverino, Head of Media Relations | mob. +39 340 8665308 | costapressoffice@costa.it
www.costapresscenter.com
About Costa Cruises:
Costa Cruises is an Italian company, headquartered in Genoa, which is part of Carnival Corporation & plc, the
world's largest cruise group.
For more than 75 years, Costa ships have plied the world's seas, taking guests to more than 200 different
destinations to be discovered through unique experiences, both on board and ashore.
Currently the Costa fleet consists of 9 ships, all flying the Italian flag, sailing in the Mediterranean, Northern
Europe, Caribbean, Central America, South America, United Arab Emirates, Far East, Southeast Asia, as well as
offering “Around the World” and “Grand Cruises,” to visit different continents in one vacation.