Costa Shells Out $28 Million in Fleet Maintenance

Costa has invested approximately 22 million euros (about $28.1 million) in the past three months for maintenance on five of the 12 ships in its fleet. Ships that were dry-docked for maintenance included the Costa Serena, Costa Europa, Costa Atlantica, Costa Romantica and Costa Fortuna.

The Costa Serena began dry-dock Jan. 28 in Fincantieri’s Palermo shipyard with completions scheduled by Feb. 11. Two of the key improvements made on the Costa Serena included specific shipboard energy and fuel saving measures. One involved the installation of air conditioning regulators, a system already in use on the Costa Fortuna.

These devices are designed to increase the efficiency of the air conditioning systems in public areas with airflow adjusting automatically according to the number of people in the room and based on the outside temperature.

The other operation involved the application of a special ecological silicone-based coating that inhibits the growth of microorganisms on the hull’s surface without releasing toxic substances into the sea. This enhances hydrodynamic performance while reducing environmental impact given the subsequent decrease in fuel consumption.

Additional maintenance performed on the Costa Serena and the four other Costa ships was routine and is carried out on each vessel every two years to maintain standards and to comply with Italian and international safety regulations.