Costa Smeralda has reached another milestone with its first LNG-bunkering operation in Italy. The bunkering operation was carried out in the port of La Spezia.
The operation took place with Costa Smeralda berthed at the “Molo Garibaldi” pier. Here the bunkering vessel Coral Methane was positioned alongside (bow to bow) the ship, under the supervision of the Italian Coast Guard and in coordination with all parties involved and the crews of Costa Smeralda and Coral Methane.
Carnival Corporation and Costa Cruises were the first cruise operator to invest in sustainable innovation with LNG-powered ship technology.
The successful LNG-bunkering is an important milestone which demonstrates Costa Cruises’ and Carnival Corporation’s continued commitment to sustainability and developing the most advanced fuel technologies available today. The Carnival Corporation as a whole is at the forefront of advancing LNG as a fuel source for the cruise industry and is working to build an extensive, safe and reliable LNG infrastructure for cruise ships around the globe.
Costa Smeralda is the first LNG-powered ship in the Costa fleet, and will be followed by Costa Toscana, the sister LNG ship to be delivered in the last quarter of 2021. Another LNG ship, AIDAnova, has been operating within the Costa Group fleet since 2018 and she will be followed by other two sister vessels by 2023.
As part of the overall Carnival Corporation fleet, a third LNG-powered ship, P&O Cruises UK’s Iona, was recently delivered. LNG, the marine industry’s most advanced fuel technology to eliminate sulfur and improve air emissions, significantly improves overall air emissions with the virtual elimination of sulfur dioxide emissions (zero emissions) and a 95 to 100% reduction in particulate matter. The use of LNG also significantly reduces emissions of nitrogen oxide and carbon dioxide by 85% and 20%, respectively.