The tenth Costa Cruises ship to be built by Fincantieri in Italy since 2000 and future flagship of the company, hit the water for the first time in the shipyards in Marghera (Venice) last Friday.

Once the work to equip interior is complete, the Costa Diadema (132,500 gross tonnage and 1,862 cabins) will be presented in October 30, 2014.

Costa Cruises invested around 550 million euros in the construction of this ship and the project has employed approximately 1,000 shipyard workers and another 2,500 employees of various related industries. 

Michael Thamm, CEO of Costa Crociere SpA, said " Costa Diadema is our new flagship and our tangible commitment to the future success and growth of the company. This is the tenth ship Costa built in Italy by Fincantieri since 2000, with a total investment of almost 5,000 million euros." 

Winter's itinerary after her entry into operations include three Italian ports: Savona , Civitavecchia and La Spezia. 

Technical launch ceremony of Costa Diadema was conducted according to the seafaring tradition. The presentation began with the welding of a coin at the base of what was once the mainmast, a custom which is considered to bring good luck. 

Shipyard director, Anthony Quintano, invited the godmother, Franca Grasso, to cut the ribbon and break a bottle of champagne to the bow of the ship. Finally, once the dry dock basin  was filled with water, the hull touched the sea for the first time. 

Among the innovations on board the Costa Diadema are new gastronomic and wine tastings. The ship will have a wine cellar, one Proseccheria, Bierkeller Bavarian bar, Teppanyaki Japanese Restaurant, Pizzeria in Piazza Pizza and ice cream parlor. 

Modalities will also be new in-flight entertainment with the arrival of Country Rock Club, a place to listen good American music, and interactive arcade games like Lazer Maze, with which passengers can have fun with their friends.