Construction of the Costa Deliziosa, the 15th ship in the Costa fleet, continues at the Fincantieri shipyards in Marghera. The yellow funnel with the blue “C”, that for more than 60 years has been the distinctive feature on all ships in the fleet of Costa Crociere, Italy’s largest tourism group and Europe’s no. 1 cruise company, was recently installed on the Costa Deliziosa.

The Costa Deliziosa, scheduled to enter service in February 2010, will be the third new ship to join the Costa fleet in just one year. In fact, the Costa Luminosa, the sister ship of the Costa Deliziosa, will be delivered at the end of April 2009, while the Costa Pacifica will enter service at the end of May that same year. An extraordinary and record-breaking event will be held in Genoa, on 5 June 2009 when, for the first time ever, two ships, the Costa Luminosa and the Costa Pacifica, will be christened at the same time.

Costa Crociere is the cruise line with the world’s biggest fleet expansion plan: 5 new ships (including the Costa Luminosa, the Costa Pacifica and the Costa Deliziosa) to be delivered by 2012 for a total investment of € 2.4 billion. Built in Italy by Fincantieri, each ship requires the professional expertise of about 3,000 workers from Fincantieri and roughly 500 linked industry companies, the majority of which are Italian. The 5 new ships represent a 50% increase in the capacity of the Costa fleet, Europe’s largest: in fact, in 2012, the fleet will consist of 17 vessels that will carry a total of 46,400 passengers.

The Costa Deliziosa will weigh in at 92,700 dwt and carry a total of 2,828 passengers. Along with her sister ship, the Costa Luminosa, they will be the “cutting edge of the fleet”, the most exclusive and innovative vessels designed for Costa’s high-end clientele. The innovations begin with the ship’s avant-garde design and the use of premium materials, such as marble, wood, mother-of-pearl and Murano glass. But then there’s also all the ultramodern onboard fun and entertainment: 4D cinema, roller skating track, Golf and Grand Prix simulators, PlayStation World with PS3, and the exclusive 3,500 m² “Samsara Spa” wellness centre with the Technogym Kinesis room, making its world debut. But let’s not forget the exclusive itineraries: throughout winter 2010, starting in February, the Costa Deliziosa will sail 7-day cruises in the Arabian Gulf to visit the Arab Emirates, Oman and Bahrain, for which Costa is the first cruise company to offer such an elite destination.