REG-Carnival PLC: Handover Of Costa Firenze

CarnivalAnnouncement

22/12/2020 14:25

Handover Of Costa Firenze, The Ship Inspired By The Beauty Of The Renaissance

The new ship, scheduled to sail in the Mediterranean in 2021 and then move to
the East, represents a step forward towards the restart of the cruise industry

GENOA and TRIESTE, Italy, Dec. 22, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Costa Cruises
(https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=3020633-1&h=2362065229&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.costacruises.com%2Fwelcome.html&a=Costa+Cruises),
a part of Carnival Corporation & plc
(https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=3020633-1&h=166182687&u=https%3A%2F%2Fc212.net%2Fc%2Flink%2F%3Ft%3D0%26l%3Den%26o%3D2938422-1%26h%3D2301237436%26u%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.carnivalcorp.com%252F%26a%3DCarnival%2BCorporation%2B%2526%2Bplc&a=Carnival+Corporation+%26%C2%A0plc) (NYSE/LSE:
CCL; NYSE: CUK), officially took delivery of the new Costa Firenze ship from
Fincantieri
(https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=3020633-1&h=3323156332&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.fincantieri.com%2Fen%2F&a=Fincantieri),
designed and built in the Marghera shipyard and inspired by the Florentine
Renaissance. The event has taken place in full digital mode today.

With 135,500 gross tonnage and a capacity of more than 5,200 guests, the Costa
Firenze is part of the development plan that includes seven new ships to be
delivered for the Costa Group by 2023, for a total investment of more than
€6 billion. Costa Firenze is the fourth of these new ships to be delivered
with three more to come.

Of the 14 ships currently operating in the Costa Cruises fleet, 11 were built
by Fincantieri, confirming the solid relationship between the two companies,
as well as representing a significant contribution to the Italian economy,
including guaranteeing work for thousands of employees in the shipyards and
external companies, mainly involved in interiors fittings.

"The handover of the new Costa Firenze is a sign of hope and restart for the
whole cruise and tourism ecosystems. This ship represents the most tangible
evidence of the will of our group to restart. Our hope is that people will
soon be able to travel again and that more ships will set sail and contribute
to the revitalization of tourism in Italy, Europe and globally," stated
Michael Thamm, group CEO of Costa Group and Carnival Asia. "Looking beyond
the pandemic, Costa's goal is to design the future of sustainable and zero
emission cruising and we hope  that our long-lasting partnership with
Fincantieri can bring our companies to work together on a roadmap that can
lead to this ambitious yet essential objective."

Giuseppe Bono, CEO of Fincantieri, said: "Costa Firenze is the third cruise
ship we have delivered since September and we are pleased that the name of
this unit recalls one of the most famous cities of art in Italy and in the
world. The delivery is an important moment because it is the concrete
demonstration that the company is getting back to its normal production
activity. I would also like to underline that the financial and economic
situation of Fincantieri has not changed significantly compared to what we
communicated in the previous quarters. The company has proven to be very
resilient, avoiding the cancellation of orders and strengthening relations
with the customers of the cruise sector. We are a growing company, we gained
an international reputation and reliability, making further development
easier, and we can count on an order book guaranteeing long-term visibility
with opportunities to increase efficiency, productivity and profitability."

"Costa Firenze is a superb ambassador of Italian style, bringing a distinctive
Italian taste for beauty to the seas around the world, from Europe to Asia,"
said Mario Zanetti, chief commercial officer of Costa Cruises and president of
Costa Group Asia. "The concept of the Costa Firenze is inspired by an iconic
city, which represents Italian art, taste and refinement in the world's
collective imagination. We have designed this ship to offer our guests a
unique experience, especially for the family target, with a specific offer of
entertainment and services."

Costa Firenze's interior design is a celebration of the Tuscan city, cradle of
Renaissance art and culture. The common spaces reflect the harmony of a stroll
through a Florentine street or square, even in the choice of colors.
Gastronomic offerings are based on the great Mediterranean cuisine, with a
wide choice of dining options guaranteed by 13 bars and seven restaurants. The
ship is perfect for families, with specific offers and some new features such
as a real "adventure park" on board.

The Costa Firenze project also takes sustainability in special regard. Costa
Firenze's excellent environmental performance has been acknowledged by RINA,
an international certification organization, with Green Star 3, a voluntary
notation covering all the main aspects of a ship's environmental impact and
requiring maximum protection and prevention across areas such as waste, grey
water, black water, machinery oil, CO(2), ozone, greenhouse gases, particulate
matter, sulphur oxides, nitrogen and ballast water, among others. In addition
to honoring compliance with a series of environmental sustainability
standards, the certification also recognizes the design solutions and
operating procedures that Costa has implemented voluntarily, both during
construction and navigation, aimed at outperforming the environmental
protection requirements of international regulations.

The ship will first sail in the Mediterranean in 2021, providing two different
week-long itineraries in the western Mediterranean. The first itinerary,
available from Feb. 28, 2021, includes the Italian destinations of Genoa, La
Spezia – with excursions also departing to Florence – and Naples, as well
as Valencia, Barcelona and Marseille. The second itinerary, available from May
to October 2021, includes Genoa and Civitavecchia, with excursions to Rome, as
well as Naples, Ibiza, Barcelona and Marseille. After October 2021, the ship
will move to Asia to join her sister ship Costa Venezia, also built by
Fincantieri, in the Monfalcone shipyard, and in operation since March 2019.

Costa Group is the leading cruise company in Europe and China, with
headquarters in Genoa. The 28 ships of its fleet, belonging to Costa Cruises,
AIDA Cruises and Costa Asia brands, have a total capacity of more than 93,000
total passengers. The fleet will grow further with the arrival of three new
ships by 2023. The company has over 30,000 employees, working on board the
ships and in 20 offices in 14 countries. The Costa Group is part of Carnival
Corporation & plc, which is one of the world's largest leisure travel
companies, with a portfolio of nine of the world's leading cruise lines.   

Fincantieri is one of the world's largest shipbuilding groups and number one
for diversification and innovation. It is leader in cruise ship design and
construction and a reference player in all high-tech shipbuilding industry
sectors, from naval to offshore vessels, from high-complexity special vessels
and ferries to mega yachts, as well as in ship repairs and conversions,
production of systems and mechanical and electrical component equipment,
cruise ship interiors solutions, electronic systems and software,
infrastructures and maritime constructions as well as after-sales services.
With over 230 years of history and more than 7,000 vessels built, Fincantieri
has always kept its management offices, as well as all its distinctive
engineering and production skills, in Italy. With over 9,500 employees and a
supplier network that employs nearly 50,000 people in Italy alone, Fincantieri
has enhanced a fragmented production capacity over several shipyards into a
strength, acquiring the widest portfolio of clients and products in the cruise
business. To hold its own in relation to competition and assert itself at
global level, Fincantieri has broadened its product portfolio becoming world
leader in the sectors in which it operates.

The Group now has 18 shipyards operating in four continents, nearly 20,000
employees, and is the leading Western shipbuilder; its clients include the
world's biggest cruise operators and the Italian and the US Navy as well as
numerous foreign navies. Fincantieri is also a partner of some of the main
European defence companies within supranational programs.

Fincantieri's business is widely diversified by end markets, geographical
exposure and by client base, with revenue generated from cruise ship, naval
vessel, Offshore and Specialized Vessel construction and from the supply of
solutions for electronic systems and software and for maritime infrastructure
and works. Compared with less diversified players, such diversification allows
it to mitigate the effects of any fluctuations in demand on the end markets
served.

www.fincantieri.com

CONTACT: Costa Cruises Press Office - Tel. +39 010 5483523 / 010 5483068 -
costapressoffice@costa.it; Gabriele Baroni - Communication Director
- cell. +39 3497668013 -baroni@costa.it; Rossella Carrara – V. P. External
Relations & Sustainability Costa Group - rossella.carrara@costa.it; Davide
Barbano – Media Relations manager – cell. 334 6525216 - 
barbano@costa.it; www.costapresscenter.com; FINCANTIERI S.p.A. – Media
Relations: Antonio Autorino, Tel.  +39 040 3192473, Mob. +39 335 7859027,
antonio.autorino@fincantieri.it; Marco Cappeddu, Tel. +39 02 72491125, Mob.
+39 342 5806290, marco.cappeddu@fincantieri.it; Laura Calzolari, Tel.  +39
040 3192527, Mob. +39 334 6587922, laura.calzolari@fincantieri.it;  Cristiano
Musella, Tel.  +39 040 3192225, Mob. +39 366 9254543,
cristiano.musella@fincantieri.it;  Micaela Longo, Tel.  +39 040 3192247,
Mob. +39 366 6856280, micaela.longo@fincantieri.it; Emanuele Macaluso, Tel. 
+39 040 3192667, Mob. +39 344 2737019, emanuele.macaluso@fincantieri.it;
FINCANTIERI S.p.A. – Investor Relations: Caterina Venier Romano, Tel. +39
040 3192229, caterina.venierromano@fincantieri.it; Valentina Fantigrossi, Tel.
+39 040 3192243, valentina.fantigrossi@fincantieri.it  



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