Costa Cruises has signed the “Genoa Blue Agreement” promoted by the Genoa and Savona Coast Guard Offices. The document requires ships to use marine gas oil with a sulfur content not exceeding 0.10% by mass before entering the ports of Savona and Genoa, and not only while the ship is moored as required by current legislation.

“By signing up to the “Genoa Blue Agreement” protocol today, we have further strengthened our commitment to reducing the environmental impact of our ships. The commitment enshrined in the protocol today is one that Costa made voluntarily some years ago, as usual pre-empting future regulations. We are also pleased to see that other shipping companies and other maritime sectors have also signed up to this commitment, which will further benefit the communities we visit daily” – says Neil Palomba, President of Costa Cruises.

The “Genoa Blue Agreement” also reiterates the effectiveness of exhaust gas cleaning systems. In fact, where these systems are used -at the same distances and time requested for the change of marine fuels -the rules introduced are considered to be fully respected. At the moment, over 70% of ships in the Costa fleet are already equipped with exhaust gas cleaning systems called “Advanced Air Quality Systems”, which ensure the almost complete removal of sulfur oxides, a 75% reduction of particulates and a significant reduction of nitrogen oxides.

Signing up to the “Genoa Blue Agreement” is a further step on the sustainable growth journey undertaken by Costa Cruises in Genoa, Savona and Liguria, which has increasingly strengthened the link between the Italian company and its birthplace.

Since the end of March, Costa Fortuna, one of the ships in the Costa fleet, has returned to docking regularly in the port of Genoa, where it expects to handle 170,000 passengers in 2019. Costa Cruises has already confirmed that Costa Pacifica will be docking in Genoa in 2020 instead of Costa Fortuna. During calls at Genoa, Costa Fortuna offers guests as many as nine new excursions, which contribute to promoting the city and its surroundings even more. In total, the Costa Group will guarantee the Liguria region 243 calls in 2019, equivalent to around 1,200,000 passengers handled. Savona is currently Costa’s main port in the world. The company and the Western Ligurian Sea Port Authority are making significant investments in preparation for the arrival of Costa Smeralda, Costa’s first ship fueled by LNG. The total investments amount to more than 20 million euros. The work is not however compromising the operation of the port, where 164 calls are expected in 2019, with 750,000 passenger movements.

In La Spezia, Costa Cruises, together with other companies, has won the contract to manage the port’s cruise services, which includes the construction of a new cruise terminal. In 2019, Costa Group ships will make 50 calls at the port of La Spezia, including 29 calls by AIDAnova, the new flagship operated by AIDA Cruises, a German company owned by the Costa Group, where it expects to handle 250,000 passenger movements.

As a further demonstration of Costa’s commitment to the local area, the Costa Crociere Foundation and the Municipality of Genoa have submitted a plan for a new community center open to all the residents of the Certosa district of Genoa. The center, which measures 530 sq.m and includes large external spaces, will occupy the first floor of a building owned by the Municipality at Via Borsieri 11, a short walk from the Brinsubway station. The renovation work is due to start by the end of August, with the aim of creating an innovative and appealing multifunctional space, also thanks to the involvement of local associations and institutions interested in carrying out activities in favor of the communities of Certosa.  The Costa CrociereFoundation will initially invest at least 330,000 euros in the project, resulting from the “Insieme per Genova” (Together for Genoa) fundraising campaign in favor of the city, in which the company involved all its guests and partners.