Work is underway at Fincantieri’s Marghera (Venice) yard on the construction of the Costa Fascinosa.

The ship is the 16th fleet member of Costa Cruises, the largest Italian travel group and Europe’s favourite cruise company, and is due to enter service in spring 2012.

The keel-laying of the ship took place on Friday 3 September 2010. The first section of the hull, a block 12 metres long and 295 tonnes in weight was also laid.  The Costa Fascinosa, sister ship of the Costa Favolosa, will be able to accommodate up to 3,780 guests and will be 114,500 gross tonnage. 

Costa Fascinosa is one of two new Costa cruise ships currently under construction in the Fincantieri shipyard.  In addition to the Costa Fascinosa, work is also proceeding on the Costa Favolosa, which underwent a technical launch on 6 August 2010 and is set to make her debut in July 2011.  The construction of each new ship involves the labour of around 3000 people, comprising both Fincantieri’s own employees and about 500 contracted suppliers, most of which are Italian firms.

Costa Cruises’ fleet expansion programme began in 2000 and encompasses 13 new ships by 2012, nine of which have been or will be built in Italy by Fincantieri.  Three of the new liners were delivered in less than 12 months, between spring 2009 and the start of this year, while Costa Favolosa will be joining the fleet in summer 2011.  Finally, in 2012, with the arrival of Costa Fascinosa, the Costa Cruises fleet will be 16-strong.

Since the year 2000, the Costa Crociere S.p.A. Group (comprising Costa Cruises as well as the number one brand for the German market AIDA Cruises and Iberocruceros, which operates mainly for the Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking markets) has continued to develop its ambitious investment plan for the expansion of the fleet with a total outlay now worth over 9.6 billion euros. The most recent new building was announced only a few weeks ago. The group recently commissioned the German shipyard Meyer Werft to build a new ship for the AIDA Cruises brand, a 71,300 gross tonnage liner with 2192 guests, which will be ready for service in 2013.  By virtue of this further addition and based on the current size of the fleet, in three years’ time the Costa Crociere S.p.A. Group will comprise 30 ships.