In Marghera Shipyard the technical launch of the new flagship Costa Diadema

The Costa Diadema, the future flagship of Costa Cruises and of the Italian-flagged passenger fleet, today touched the water for the first time during her technical launch ceremony at the Fincantieri shipyard in Marghera.

Once the work to fit out her interiors has been completed, the Costa Diadema will be delivered on October 30, 2014.  Costa Cruises has invested a total of around 550 million euro in the construction of the Costa Diadema.  The project is employing a total of approximately 1000 shipyard workers plus another 2500 employees of allied industries.  The benefits in terms of employment extend beyond the yard, especially regarding the fitting-out of the interiors of the cruise ship, with the involvement of about 400 contracted suppliers, most of which are Italian firms.

Fincantieri's CEO, Giuseppe Bono, commented: “It's many years now that we've been applying Italian know-how to form a winning team with Costa. We hope that the country as a whole is proud of these two major companies and will not fail to support their continued growth. We're also convinced that "Costa Diadema", the largest ship ever built for Costa Crociere, bodes very well for the future development of our companies and the entire industry".

The Costa Diadema’s technical launch ceremony was carried out according to seafaring tradition. The launch started with the welding of a coin at the base of what was once the mainmast, a custom considered to bring good luck. Then, the shipyard director Antonio Quintano invited the godmother, Ms. Franca Grasso, to cut the ribbon and break a bottle of champagne against the bow of the Costa Diadema. Once the dry-dock basin where the ship took shape over the last few months had been filled with water, the hull finally had the chance to touch the sea for the first time.

The Costa Diadema’s distinguishing features will be comfort combined with top quality food&wine and entertainment.  The new flagship’s interiors will be even cozier, roomier and more modern in terms of facilities and layout of her public areas.  The Costa Diadema will offer large, split-level rooms directly overlooking the sea and conveniently interconnected, thus evoking the atmosphere of a buzzing seaside resort.

In Winter 2014/15 Costa Diadema will be deployed on a 1-week itinerary including the chance to visit two of Italy’s must-see cities – Rome and Florence – on the one cruise.  The port calls are Savona, Marseille, Barcelona,Palma de Mallorca, Civitavecchia and La Spezia.

Please visit Fincantieri for more information on this build project