As happened with MSC Cruises, Costa Cruises announced on Friday the cancellation of its 2021/2022 cruise season in Uruguay and Argentina. Last-minute differences with Brazilian officials forced the Italian cruise company which belongs to the Carnival Group, to redraft the itinerary of Costa Fascinosa that was expected in Uruguay and Argentina.
Costa Cruises resumed sailing in Italy but also took the step of canceling its 2020-21 season in South America. All South America cruises from November 2020 to April 2021 were canceled by the Costa Fascinosa, Costa Luminosa, and Costa Pacifica.
Around 850 French passengers who were onboard a coronavirus-riddled cruise ship that was turned away from numerous ports in March have filed a collective suit in Paris with 180 complaints, including manslaughter, against Costa Cruises, their lawyer said on Sunday.
The main cruise ship operators in French waters have agreed on measures to limit pollution caused by their vessels, including hooking up to the power grid instead of keeping their engines running during stopovers.
The Italian brand of Carnival Corporation & plc, this week officially took delivery of Costa Venezia, its first ship designed specifically to offer the best of Italy to the Chinese market. Costa Venezia is part of an expansion plan that includes a total of seven ships being delivered to the Costa Group by 2023.
Costa Crociere to welcome four new cruise ships by 2021. Between 2019 and 2021 four new ships will enter service with the Italian cruise line, based in Genoa, Italy, for an overall increase in passenger capacity of 43%. In February 2019, the company will welcome the new Costa Venezia, currently under construction at the Fincantieri plant in Monfalcone.
Carnival Corporation & plc announced that its Italian brand, Costa Cruises, has placed orders for two new cruise ships powered by liquefied natural gas as part of an agreement with Meyer Werft to build four next-generation cruise ships with the largest guest capacity in the world.
Uruguay expects a slowing down of cruise activity this season, probably in the range of 10% less vessel calls, particularly in Punta del Este, because of logistics problems with the circuits. However this will be partly compensated by the two Costa Cruise company vessels that will be operating from Montevideo as the starting point and end of South Atlantic tours.
A court in Italy has convicted five people of manslaughter over the Costa Concordia shipwreck off Giglio Island which killed 32 people in January 2012. Two officers, the helmsman, the head of cabin service and the head of the crisis team were given up to two years and 10 months in jail for multiple manslaughter, negligence and shipwreck.
Shares in cruise company Carnival have fallen more than 7% after it issued a profit warning its second in just three months. Carnival, which operates ships under brands such as P&O and Costa Cruises, said full year revenues, which were expected to be flat, would now fall 2-3%.