Meyer Turku starts building Costa Cruises’ second LNG-fueled liner

Finnish Meyer Turku shipyard has cut the first steel for Costa Cruises’ second LNG-fueled liner, the Costa Toscana.

Costa Toscana will be the first ship benefitting fully from the new panel line of Meyer Turku.

The panel line is just one of the major over €100 million ($111.5 million) investments inside the steel halls, the whole shipyard going through an investment program of €200 million, the shipyard said in its statement.

The Costa Smeralda and Costa Toscana are slated for delivery in October 2019 and 2021.

With a gross tonnage of over 180,000 and more than 2600 staterooms on each, the Costa Smeralda and Costa Toscana are part of the Costa Group’s fleet expansion plan, with seven new ships scheduled to enter service by 2023.

“The steel-cutting ceremony for the Costa Toscana is another step forward in our sustainable development plan.  LNG propulsion for cruise ships is a major innovation, pioneering a new era in the use of low carbon fuels that will significantly reduce exhaust emissions to help protect the environment without compromising on safety, in line with our top priorities,” Costa Cruises president Neil Palomba says.