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Costa Group Brings to Barcelona the First LNG Powered Cruise Ship

  • An official crest exchange ceremony celebrated the arrival of AIDAnova,operated by AIDA Cruises, and important milestone for the Costa Group sixmonths ahead of the arrival of its second LNG-powered ship, Costa Smeralda,which will be the new flagship for Costa Cruises.

  • Costa Group, to which AIDA Cruises and Costa Cruises belong, shows itscommitment to the environment, sustainability and innovation with theincorporation of these vessels, unique in the sector, to its fleet.

Barcelona, April 26,2019. Today at Barcelona Port a traditional crest exchange took place on boardAIDAnova for celebrating her very first call to this important port of theMediterranean. AIDAnova is the world's first cruise ship to run on low-emissionliquefied natural gas (LNG) in port and at sea, thanks to its dual-fuel engineson board.

At the cutting edge of technology with itsAIDA Cruises and Costa Cruises brands, The Costa Group, along with its sisterbrands within Carnival Corporation's global portfolio, has been an industryleader in promoting and developing sustainable and environmental solutions.

"At AIDAnova, we have assembled a widevariety of products with exceptional enthusiasm and creativity. We are veryproud to operate the most environmentally friendly cruise ship and willcontinue along this path" said Felix Eichhorn, AIDA President, whowelcomed with Captain Boris Becker numerous representatives from nationalinstitutions, industry and tourism on board this state-of-the-art cruise shipon the day.

In addition to the use of LNG for cruiseships, Costa Group and Carnival Corporation's global cruise brands have beenindustry leaders in pioneering the use of Advanced Air Quality System (AAQS) inthe small confines of a cruise ship. Considered an environmental breakthrough,AAQS are already installed on over 70 percent of ships in the Costa Group andCarnival Corporation fleet. The use of LNG and AAQS both play an important rolein further improving the impact of Costa Group's marine operations.

At the same time, AIDAnova arrives toBarcelona port, the largest cruise port which offers the possibility ofrefuelling with the lowest emission fuel currently available in shipping. Thanksto a partnership with Shell, the cruise ship will also be regularly suppliedwith liquefied natural gas (LNG) in the Spanish metropolis.

"We aredelighted to receive AIDAnova in Barcelona," said Francesco Muglia, GeneralManager for Spain & Portugal of Costa Cruises. "This ship together with the arrival of Costa Smeralda in October provethe firm commitment of Costa Group to sustainability and technology whilecontributes to the cruise industry making sustainable tourism a fundamentalpart of our industry leadership."

Until early November 2019,AIDAnova will offer seven-day trips to some of the most popular destinations amongGerman guests in the Mediterranean region - Civitavecchia (Rome), La Spezia(Florence), Marseille and Barcelona. The Spanish port is not only the secondport of change for these trips. In Barcelona, AIDAnova will also be regularlysupplied with low-emission LNG from April 26, 2019.

The Costa Smeralda will call Barcelona on herfirst cruise on October 30th, 2019 and will have her christeningceremony in grand style in Savona on November 3, 2019. The six-day inauguralcruise will depart from Savona on November 4, 2019, and sail to Barcelona,Marseilles and Civitavecchia (Rome). Costa Smeralda will then continue to sailaround the Western Mediterranean until April 2021, offering one-week cruisesincluding Savona, Marseille, Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca, Civitavecchia/Romeand La Spezia.

Technical data AIDAnova:

Shipyard:

Meyer Werft, Papenburg (Germany)

Keel laying:

Commissioning:

September 4, 2017

December 12, 2018

Length:

337 meters

Width:

42 meters

Max. draft:

8.80 m

Gross tonnage:

183,900 GT

Decks:

20

Number of staterooms:

2,626 (21 different stateroom varieties)

Restaurants:

17

Bars:

23

Crew:

approx. 1,500

About the Costa Group

The Costa Group is the leading cruise company in Europe and China,headquartered in Genoa (Italy). The 28 ships of the brands Costa Cruises, AIDACruises and Costa Asia together have a total capacity of more than 85,000 beds.The fleet will be further strengthened by five new vessels by 2023. The companyhas a global workforce of 30,000 employees working onboard and in its 20offices in 14 countries.

AIDA Cruises is the first cruise company onthe German market. There are currently 13 AIDA vessels in service. Two newvessels, propelled by liquefied natural gas, will be delivered by 2023. AIDAvessels are marketed in German-speaking countries and are distinguished by ayoung style and informal service.

For further information:

Costa Cruises Press Office

Gabriele Baroni –Communication Director – M +39 3497668013baroni@costa.it

Press Office: T +39010 5483523 - costapressoffice@costa.it

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