Costa Cruises confirms major fleet consolidation with five ships to be sold off

In line with other Carnival Corporation brands that have been selling off ships recently to make way for new capacity added by newer and larger ships, Costa Cruises has announced that at least five ships will leave its fleet by 2021.

On Carnival Corporation’s third quarter earnings call on Thursday, CEO Arnold Donald confirmed that Costa’s previously Dubai-based cruise ship Costa Mediterranea will leave the fleet in May 2021.

Mediterranea homeported in Dubai for the 2018/19 winter cruise season, but has been replaced for the upcoming season with Costa Diadema, the second-largest ship in the fleet.

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Donald said that the selling off of five cruise ships was part of a plan to reduce capacity growth in Southern Europe, where the cruise line will introduce the 6,600-guest Costa Smeralda later this year and her sister ship Costa Toscana in 2020.

Two Europe-based ships will leave the Costa fleet in 2020, according to Donald, while another two from the Asia fleet will be sold off the same year.

In Asia, Costa Cruises has introduced the 5,260-guest Costa Venezia (which cruised from Dubai on her way to China this year), and will introduce her sister ship Costa Firenze in 2020.

Donald said that these new ships will create more efficient capacity in these markets. Although he did not say which ships will be sold off, it is likely that the cruise line’s oldest ships, such as Costa Atlantica, a sister ship to Mediterranea, and Costa Victoria, a smaller and older vessel, will be among them.

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Costa Cruises’ Indian operation recently said that Costa Victoria, which homeports seasonally in Mumbai, might be replaced with a newer ship.

“Some are being sent to China; some are being sent to other markets where we have strength,” Donald said. “When we sell them, we don’t sell them into competing markets.”

The Atlantica and Mediterranea are expected to transfer to Carnival’s joint venture in China with China State Shipbuilding Corporation.

Carnival Corporation has been selling off tonnage from several of its cruise line brands recently as it expands its fleet and increases efficiency. P&O Oriana was sold to a new Chinese cruise line and recently debuted as Piano Land.

The P&O Australia cruise ship Pacific Jewel was sold to Jalesh Cruises to become Karnika, which homeports seasonally in Dubai, another P&O Australia cruise ship Pacific Eden moved to Cruise & Maritime Voyages, and the Prinsendam is now the Amera for Phoenix Reisen.

Costa’s Vista-class cruise ships Costa Venezia and Firenze are not only more efficient but also more environmentally friendly with advanced energy-saving technologies to comply with the strictest environmental standards, with high-efficiency engines and a system for scrubbing exhaust fumes.

The Excellence-class LNG-powered Costa Smeralda and Toscana meanwhile will be among the most environmentally-friendly cruise ships in the world using the cleanest fossil fuel available for power at sea and in port, vastly reducing emissions and greenhouse gasses.