Costa Cruises and Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri have celebrated the official float-out ceremony of Costa Firenze.

The ship is the second for the brand designed and built specifically for the Chinese market.

The ceremony was held at Fincantieri shipyard in Marghera, Italy, where the vessel is being built.

She is scheduled for delivery in September next year, once the interior fittings have been completed.

Costa Firenze is the sister ship of Costa Venezia, built by Fincantieri at Monfalcone shipyard and launched in Trieste on March 1st.

The projects for construction of the two ships require thousands of shipyard workers and ancillary employees.

With a gross tonnage of 135,500 tons, 323 meters in length and a capacity for over 5,200 guests, Costa Firenze and Costa Venezia are the biggest ship introduced by Costa to the Chinese market.

They are part of an expansion plan that includes a total of seven ships being delivered to the Costa Group by 2023, for a total investment of over €6 billion.

As part of today’s float-out ceremony, Costa Firenze officially reached the sea for the first time.

The celebration followed the protocol provided by the seafaring tradition for such occasions, by flooding the basin where the ship took shape in recent months, following the cutting of the ribbon and the breaking of the bottle by the float-out ceremony’s godmother Franca Pierobon, an employee of Marghera shipyard.

“Costa Firenze is a further proof of Costa Cruises’ long-term commitment to China market,” stated Vanessa Li, vice president marketing of Costa Group, Asia.

“We aim to bring the beauty of the Italian lifestyle to Chinese guests, offering them an authentic Italian vacation experience.”

Costa Firenze is inspired by the city of Florence, representing centuries of Italian culture and history.