Earlier today, Costa’s newest ship and future flagship, the Costa Diadema, was floated out at Fincantieri’s Marghera Shipyard. The floating out ceremony is a major milestone in the Costa Diadema’s construction, marking the first time the ship has met the water.
“Costa Diadema will be our new flagship and our tangible commitment to the future success and growth of our company,” said Michael Thamm, chief executive officer of Costa Crociere S.p.A. “She is the 10th cruise ship built in Italy by Fincantieri for Costa since 2000, with a total investment worth almost US$6.7 billion.”
The floating out ceremony was accompanied by the traditional coin ceremony, where executives from Costa and Fincatierei welded a “lucky coin” to the ship’s foremast. Afterwards, the ships madrina or godmother, Franca Grasso, a member of CostaClub chosen from among more than 12,000 guests who sailed on Costa ships in the Mediterranean during October and November 2013, cut the ribbon to break a bottle of champagne against the bow of the ship.
The Costa Diadema is scheduled to debut October 30, 2014 and will begin sailing 7 night Mediterranean cruises from Savona, calling in Marseille, France; Barcelona and Palma de Mallorca, Spain; Civitavecchia (Rome) and La Spezia (Florence), Italy.
