Costa Cruises has signed the Agreement "Genoa Blue", an initiative promoted by the Italian Coast Guard. According to the agreement the cruise ships will use fuel with sulfur content below 0.10% when entering the ports of Genoa and Savona. Existing legislation has already regulated this limit when the ships are docked, but the new resolution also establishes this rule before ships enter the ports.
“By signing the “Genoa Blue” Agreement, we reinforce our commitment to reduce the environmental impact of our ships. The agreement made official in this protocol has been applied voluntarily by Costa Cruises for some years. We are happy to see that other cruise companies have also committed to these rules, which will further benefit the communities we visit daily” says Neil Palomba, president of Costa Cruises.
The agreement also recognizes the effectiveness of exhaust gas cleaning systems. Currently, more than 70% of Costa's fleet ships are equipped with this system, called Advanced Air Quality Systems, which ensures almost complete removal of sulfur oxides, with a 75% reduction of these particles, as well as a significant reduction of nitrogen oxides.
The “Blue Genoa” Agreement is another step in Costa Cruises' sustainable growth, and increasingly strengthens the link between the Italian company and its homeland.
Since late March, the cruise ship Costa Fortuna has resumed its regular voyages at the port of Genoa, and by 2020 Costa Pacifica will use it as a homeport. This year, Costa Group will have 243 stopovers in the Ligurian region, with an estimated 1.2 million guests.
Savona has received significant investment from the shipping company and the West Ligurian Sea Port Authority for the arrival of the Costa Smeralda ship, the first of its Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) fleet, the cleanest fossil fuel in the world. The investments amount to over 20 million euros. The work, however, does not compromise the port operation, where 164 calls are foreseen and the embarkation and disembarkation of 750 thousand passengers in 2019.
In La Spezia, Costa Cruises, along with other companies, has been awarded the contract to manage the port's cruise services and, among the terms, is the construction of a new cruise terminal. By 2019, the Costa Group's ships will make 50 stopovers at the provincial port, including 29 calls from the AIDAnova flagship of the AIDA Cruises, a German company belonging to the Costa Group.
As a further demonstration of Costa Cruises' commitment to the local community, the Costa Crociere Foundation and Genoa City Council presented the plan for a new Community Center, open to all residents of the Certosa district. In order to create a multifunctional and innovative environment, space will be about 530m² and will be located on the first floor of a building belonging to the city hall. With the collaboration of regional associations and institutions, the Community Center will be open to companies interested in carrying out activities for the communities of Certosa. Reform is expected to begin in late August.
The Costa Crociere Foundation will initially invest 330,000 euros in the project - the amount is the result of the “Insieme per Genova” fundraising campaign, in which the company involved all its guests and partners.
