Costa Cruises is offering one of its cruise ships to house Ukrainian refugees fleeing the Russian invasion of their country. The company offered the cruise ship Costa Magica, which is currently out of service, to the Italian government as a potential hosing vessel for the Ukrainian refugees, if the number of refugees arriving in Italy increases in the coming weeks.

“Costa Cruises is following the dramatic events in Ukraine with great concern. Our thoughts are with the people involved, including the families of our Ukrainian colleagues who are understandably concerned about their loved ones. As immediate support to the needs of the people affected by the impact of the conflict, we have already donated medical supplies and medicines. In addition, we offered the Costa Magica to the Italian government as a potential temporary hub for the reception of Ukrainian refugees,” the cruise line said in a statement.

Costa Cruises added that the costs of managing the ship, including staff and meals, will be covered by the company in the initial time period.

The Governor of Liguria Region Giovanni Toti, expressed his gratitude to Costa Cruises adding that solidarity and help comes from many companies and individuals all across Italy. 

Today we evaluated the offer from Costa Cruises to house refugees from Ukraine on a cruise ship. The gigantic ship has enormous operational costs and we would not know who to house in. For the moment the world of volunteering is enough to absorb the impact, but we thank Costa Cruises for the offer " Governor Toti said.

Costa Magica is a 102.587 gross tonnage ship with a capacity to accommodate up to 3.250 people. The ship is not in service and is currently located near La Spezia, Italy.

In June 2021, Carnival Corporation announced that Costa Magica will be sent to dry dock to be rebranded and transferred over to Carnival Cruise Line sometime in mid-2022.