Costa Crociere has placed a new order with Fincantieri Ship Yard for the construction of a new cruise ship – the tenth new ship ordered by the line in ten years.

When complete, the new ship will have a gross tonnage of 132,500 and accommodate 4,928 total guests in 1,854 cabins.

It will be the largest Italian cruise ship in operation when launched.

The new flagship in the Costa fleet, the vessel will be built in Marghera (Venice), for a total ship owner’s all-in cost of approximately €150,000 per lower berth.

Delivery is planned for October 2014 and the new ship will be an innovative evolution of the Concordia-class project, developed by integrating and improving the main features of the latest Costa ships to enter service.

This new ship order is subject to financing.

Costa Crociere has also announced the sale of Costa Marina, which has been in service for more than 20 years, and as of November 2011 will no longer be part of the fleet.

“This new order, the tenth in ten years, not only consolidates the link between our company and Fincantieri, but also demonstrates the leadership achieved by Costa Cruises in Europe and its ability to drive the cruise business and tourism in general,” said Pier Luigi Foschi, chairman Costa Crociere.

“This innovative project will once again be a symbol of Italy’s ability to create excellent products, in terms of design, technology and innovation, aimed at strengthening the best image of Made in Italy products around the world.

“This new order is part of a plan that will make the fleet more efficient.”