About Costa
Costa Crociere S.p.A. is an Italian company with headquarters in Genoa. The brands AIDA Cruises and Costa Crociere belong to Costa Crociere S.p.A., and include a total of 15 ships in active service and 8 on order. All ships fly the Italian flag and operate in the Mediterranean, Northern Europe, the Caribbean, Central and South America, United Arab Emirates and the Far East.
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The company, turnover and significant figures
Costa Crociere S.p.A. is an Italian company with headquarters in Genoa. The brands AIDA Cruises and Costa Crociere belong to Costa Crociere S.p.A., and include a total of 15 ships in active service and 8 on order. All ships fly the Italian flag and operate in the Mediterranean, Northern Europe, the Caribbean, Central and South America, United Arab Emirates and the Far East.
AIDA CRUISES, with 233,000 total guests in 2005, is the leading cruise company of the German market. At present four of the AIDA ships are in active service: AIDAcara, AIDAvita, AIDAaura, AIDAblu, with a total capacity of 5,400 guests (in double occupancy cabins). Four new ships, each with a 2,050 guest capacity, are on order with the Meyer Werft shipyard in Germany and will come into service in April 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010. AIDA ships are marketed in German speaking countries and are known for their young style and informal service. (www.aida.de)
COSTA CRUISES is the leading cruise company in Europe - with a market leader position in Italy, France, Spain and Switzerland - and in South America. Costa boasts more than fifty years of tradition in Italian cruise holidays and is the first international company authorized to operate in China, departing from Chinese ports.
Costa Cruises boasts the biggest and the most modern fleet of all European cruise companies: 11 ships with a capacity of 20,200 guests in double occupancy cabins, including the new flagship Costa Concordia, in active service from July 2006.
In 2005 Costa Cruises reached about 870,000 total guests (+19%), corresponding to 6,580,000 passengers per day (+18%). This represents a record result for the company and for the European cruise industry. The occupancy rate was indeed about 105%
Costa Cruises is RINA certified with the B.E.S.T. 4 (Business Excellence Sustainable Task), an integrated system of voluntary certification of corporate compliance with the highest international standards involving social accountability (SA 8000, issued in 2001), environment (UNI EN ISO 14001, issued in 1996), safety (OHSAS 18001, issued in 1999) and quality (UNI EN ISO 9001, issued in 2000).
Costa Cruises is the first company in the world that was awarded by RINA with the voluntary "Green Star" notation for the whole fleet. The assignment of the Green Star means that RINA has certified that all Costa's vessels are operated in an environmentally responsible manner and help protect the air and sea in the areas where they sail. The Green Star notation is based on the highest environmental protection standards for the prevention of pollution of the marine environment and it is actually stricter than the prevailing provisions of the international MARPOL convention.
Since July 2005 Costa Cruises has been supporting the WWF for the protection of three of the most precious and endangered marine Ecoregions in the world: the areas of the Mediterranean Sea, the Greater Antilles, and north-eastern Brazil. Costa Cruises' commitment is aimed at providing every passenger with informative and educational material. Furthermore, targeted operations will be carried out by WWF ITALIA in the three Ecoregions, thanks partly to the financial support of its new partner Costa Cruises and all its Guests.
Costa Cruises is an international company with offices in 27 cities in 15 different countries: Genoa, Milan, Rome, Padua, Turin, Naples, Palermo, Bologna, Bari, Paris, Madrid, Barcelona, London, Frankfurt, Rostock, Linz, Zurich, Brussels, Miami, Mexico City, Buenos Aires, Sao Paolo, Rio de Janeiro, Manila, La Romana (Dominican Republic), Hong Kong and Shangai.
The company is able to count on a young and international staff: 70% of its about 13,000 employees - consisting of about 12,000 onboard and 1,000 ground staff - are under 40 years old and come from 80 different countries.
In 2005, the level of customer satisfaction reached 98%.
24,000 travel agencies work with Costa Cruises all over Europe.
In 2000 Costa Cruises launched a programme to enlarge its fleet, involving an investment of about 4.5 billion Euros over an eleven-year period:
- in July 2000 the Costa Atlantica came into service (2,114 guests in double occupancy cabins), built in the Finnish Kvaerner Masa Yards shipyard;
- in April 2002 the Costa Europa came into service (1,488 guests in double occupancy cabins);
- on 22nd May 2003 the Costa Mediterranea, twin sister of the Costa Atlantica, was delivered;
- on November 14th, 2003 the Costa Fortuna was delivered, the first of two ships with a tonnage of 102,600 tons, and a passenger capacity each of 2,702 in double occupancy cabins, ordered with Fincantieri Yard of Genoa Sestri Ponente;
- on 29 October 2004 Costa Magica, the sister of Costa Fortuna, was delivered;
- in July 2006 the Costa Concordia comes into service, a new ship with a tonnage of 112,000 tons and with a passenger capacity of 3,000 (in double occupancy cabins), the first of three twin ships to be built at Fincantieri Yard of Genoa Sestri Ponente;
- in May 2007 another new ship, Costa Serena, the sister of Costa Concordia, will be delivered. The Costa fleet will reach 12 ships and about 23,200 guests (in double occupancy cabins);
- in spring 2009 a new ship with a tonnage of 92,700 tons and with a passenger capacity of 2,260 (in double occupancy cabins) will come into service. It is being built at Fincantieri Yard in Marghera and is the first of two twin ships, the second is currently on option;
- in the summer 2009 a new ship, twin sister of the Costa Concordia and of the Costa Serena, will come into service. Within the end of 2009 the Costa fleet will therefore reach 14 ships with a total passenger capacity of 28,500 guests (in double occupancy cabins);
- in autumn 2010, if the option will become effective, the second ship of 92,700 tons with a passenger capacity of 2,260 (in double occupancy cabins) is foreseen to come into service. The Costa fleet will therefore reach 15 ships and a total passenger capacity of about 30,800 (in double occupancy cabins).
Costa Cruises is part of Carnival Corporation & plc, world leader in the cruise industry, and is a member of the prestigious World's Leading Cruise Lines, an association of the world's most important cruise companies, along with Carnival Cruise Lines, Holland America Line, Cunard Line, Seabourn Cruise Line, Windstar Cruises and Princess Cruises. |
The beginning
1854: Giacomo Costa founded "Giacomo Costa fu Andrea", a small company dedicated to the small-scale trade of olive oil and fabrics.
The first half of the twentieth century
1924: "Giacomo Costa fu Andrea" developed into a company producing olive oil and purchased the steamer Ravenna for the supply of raw materials.
1947: in February, with the launch of the steamer Maria C., which also carried 50 passengers, the company extended its business to incorporate passenger transport.
1948: the motor ship Anna C., the fleet's first transatlantic liner, left Genoa bound for Rio de Janeiro and Buenos Aires on 31 March, carrying 768 passengers. During the same year the company changed its name from "Giacomo Costa fu Andrea" to "Linea C".
The second half of the twentieth century
1950s: the transport of passengers develops even further. The "Linea C", the scheduled service which connects Europe to South America, grows up with new ships. In the Sixties, Costa is the first operator in the world to offer Cruises in the Caribbean.
1980s: the group decided to concentrate on the cruise sector. Following radical reorganisation, Costa Crociere S.p.A. was founded in 1986.
1990s: Costa proposed a new product niche: the cruise within everyone's reach. In 1993 it became the first tour operator to introduce television advertising campaigns, with the slogan "We sail for your enjoyment".
1997: Costa Crociere S.p.A was acquired jointly by Carnival Corporation and Airtours with equal shares. This change in the ownership was followed by a corporate reorganisation and further repositioning. The advertising slogan became "Grande come il mare" (As big as the sea).
From 2000 to today
2000: the Costa Atlantica was born. Carnival Corporation bought out the 50% share of the company belonging to Airtours and acquired full control of Costa Crociere. The Costa fleet ships returned to flying the Italian flag, and a twin sister ship to the Costa Atlantica and two new ships to be built in Genoa by Fincantieri were ordered.
2001: with the arrival of the Costa Tropicale in June, the fleet numbered eight ships; the Costa Riviera was retired from duty in November.
2002: in April the Costa Europa joins the Costa Crociere fleet. A new ironic advertising campaign is launched. The slogan is "La vacanza che ti manca" (The holiday you miss).
2003: Carnival Corporation & plc, the largest cruise group in the world, with members that include Costa Cruises, was founded in April. The Costa Mediterranea, twin sister of the Costa Atlantica, went into service in May. The Costa Fortuna, the largest passenger ship in Italian history, built by Fincantieri in Genoa Sestri Ponente, went into service in November. The Palacrociere, Savona's new cruise terminal, jointly financed and managed by the company, was also opened.
2004: in January the signing of a letter of intention with Fincantieri was announced for the construction of another new 112,000 ton ship with, Costa Concordia, to be delivered in July 2006. In November two important events for the company: the Costa Magica, twin sister of the Costa Fortuna, enters service; Costa Crociere S.p.A. acquires the brand AIDA Cruises, cruise leader in Germany.
2005: in January Costa Cruises announces the order to Fincantieri for a twin sister ship of the Costa Concordia, named Costa Serena, which will be ready in May 2007, and transfer of the Costa Tropicale to the P&O Australia brand in October 2005. In December another order to Fincantieri Yard of Genoa Sesti Ponente was announced for a new ship, twin sister of the Costa Concordia and of the Costa Serena, which will be ready within the summer 2009.
2006: Costa Cruises announces its expansion in Asia Pacific. From the summer 2006 a ship, the Costa Allegra, will be positioned in China for the Asian guests, and from the winter 2006/2007 two ships of the Group, Costa Classica and AIDACara, will depart from Dubai, while another one, Costa Marina, will depart from Singapore. In June Costa announces the order to Fincantieri for a new ship with a tonnage of 92,700 tons and an option for a twin sister ship, to be ready in sping 2009 and in autumn 2010 respectively.
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