Luminosa is Costa’s new ship of light

Delivered by Fincantieri’s Marghera yard at the end of April this year, and christened in Genoa on 5 June, the 92,700gt Costa Luminosa is, in many respects, a landmark vessel for Costa Cruises, the fast growing Italian cruise operator. Indeed, this will be the company’s new flagship.

At 294m in length and 32m breadth, Costa Luminosa will be able to accommodate 2,828 guests in 1,130 cabins, including 772 with balconies. Consequently, the vessel has, at 68 per cent, the highest percentage of cabins with private balconies in the Costa fleet, thereby allowing the operator to meet what is an increasingly important requirement for today’s cruise customers.

Compared with some other ships entering the market, Costa Luminosa is relatively small in terms of passenger capacity. Rather than go for scale, Costa has sought with this ship to focus more on onboard service quality and passenger experience, through the provision of high quality leisure and restaurant facilities, for example.

The interior design of Costa Luminosa is the creation of the celebrated Carnival group architect, Joseph Farcus, whose brief has been to create an ‘elegant and refined’ setting. The use of traditional high quality materials, including marble, murano glass and mother of pearl, has been combined with modern LED technology to produce what Costa believes is a ‘unique and inimitable style’. Several works of art, including 288 originals, have also been specially commissioned for the ship, perhaps the most notable being the sculpture by Fernando Boter, called Donna Sdraiata 2004, that dominates the central atrium.

While it has many distinctive features, Costa’s latest newbuilding is not an entirely new creation. In fact, Costa Luminosa is the latest interpretation by Fincantieri of its very successful Vista class platform, a concept that it has developed hand in hand with the Carnival group. A series of vessels with this basic configuration, albeit with varying superstructure arrangements, have been built by the company for Holland America Line (HAL), P&O Cruises and Cunard, beginning with Zuiderdam in 2002. Other Vista class examples include Oosterdam, Westerdam, Arcadia, Noordam, Eurodam and Queen Victoria, as well as Queen Elizabeth, Nieuw Amsterdam and Costa Deliziosa, which are all due for delivery in 2010.

Vista ships are all Panamax classes, but there are signification variations within the overall design ‘theme’. With Costa Luminosa, for example, Fincantieri notes that the demand for a high number of balcony-equipped cabins, and the stability available from the limitation of overall breadth to Panamax dimensions, has permitted what the yard calls a ‘tower’ configuration. This means that the vessel has a wider platform with a narrower and lighter superstructure, and this has allowed the inclusion of an extra cabin deck compared with some earlier Vista series hulls. According to a Fincantieri spokesperson, “The tower configuration gives a much better balcony ratio, making the vessel much more marketable.”

On top of this, Fincantieri observes that the design of Costa Luminosa has been geared towards meeting the owner’s requirement that passengers on this relatively small ship should enjoy the same ‘exciting experiences’ of those embarking on bigger cruise vessels. At 92,700gt, the vessel is around 20,000gt smaller than the Concordia class ships (Costa Concordia, Costa Serena and Costa Pacifica) but incorporates many of the same features.

Despite the tight technical constraints imposed by the overall design platform, Fincantieri points out, for instance, that Costa Luminosa can offer guests one of the biggest lido areas yet provided on a cruise vessel. The lido complex, with two swimming pools, is 70m in length, 8m wide and spans two deck levels in height, occupying an overall space of around 3,000m³. The pool area is covered by a sliding roof, supplied by Navalimpianti, which is believed to be the largest of its type yet delivered for a cruise ship.

The motorised glass roof (on Deck 10) is composed of five sliding panels and one that is fixed. When closing, the first panel engages the second one and then the third, until the closing process is complete; the opposite takes place when opening.

Navalimpianti points out that a hooking system has been incorporated to ensure safe movement in the two directions without placing excessive stresses on the structure. When the sliding cover is open, the panels are stowed one inside the other, and when closed, all the panels extend up to the tracks, providing a watertight cover.

Both sides of the driving panels are mechanically synchronised by two electrical gear motors, driven and controlled by PLC. Actual movement is undertaken by chains and, during closing and opening operations, the running is continuous and silent according to Navalimpianti.

Great attention has also been paid to the design and scale of the atrium, reflecting the fact that this is a vital space within the ship which provides passengers with both a point of reference and a meeting point. On Costa Luminosa, the atrium is located precisely in the middle of the ship, and extends 30m up through the superstructure to the top, allowing natural light to flood down to the heart of the vessel.

The atrium is serviced by three panoramic lifts, supplied by Schindler Marine. These connect the lower levels of the atrium to the Tavernetta restaurant and offer passengers a dramatic overview of the open space.

The Samsaara spa, which spans two levels and is situated forward on the top passenger decks, is another feature which is highlighted by Fincantieri. According to a spokesperson, “With a variety of steam baths and saunas, treatment rooms and a thallasso therapy pool, Costa Luminosa offers a wide range of facilities for relaxation at the same level, if not higher, than its larger cousins.”

Fincantieri further draws attention to some of the general advantages of the smaller size and faster service speed of Costa Luminosa. As the yard points out, “This ship can enter ports where bigger ships cannot and, with a top speed of around 24 knots – around 2 knots faster than the Concordia class – it is possible for the operator to plan itineraries that would be impossible with other vessels.”

The propulsion package selected for Costa Luminosa is based around two ABB Azipods, each rated at 17,600kW at 144 rpm. Electrical power for these is supplied by a six genset plant: four alternators driven by 12,000kW Caterpillar MaK 12V43C engines and a further two driven by 8,000kW L43C engines.

According to Fincantieri, “The owner’s desire was to have a more flexible vessel, both from an operational and marketing point of view. The adoption of this podded propulsion configuration has meant gaining 6-8 per cent in efficiency, and so a faster ship is possible without requiring an escalation in the required power.”

Fincantieri has now built up good experience with shipsets comprising four MaK 12M43C and two MaK 8M43C units – MaK is a relative newcomer to the cruise market. The first vessel with this arrangement was Eurodam, and following this initial order the shipbuilder has placed contracts for another four plants with the same engine configuration: Nieuw Amsterdam for HAL, Costa Luminosa and Costa Deliziosa for Costa Cruises and Queen Elizabeth for Cunard. For Costa Luminosa, and all the other newbuildings, the MaK engines will drive AC generators to deliver the energy needed for onboard facilities, auxiliary systems and the Azipod propulsion units.

Alongside operational flexibility, Costa Cruises required a highly commercial product, and this presented Fincantieri with some significant challenges. As the yard points out, “The owner demanded that all the positive features on the other vessels should not be compromised as a result of the smaller size.”

Certainly, Fincantieri appears to have risen to this challenge, as much has been packed into the space available. As well as the two-level spa, the dramatic atrium with panoramic electors, and the double level pool area with its sliding roof, the vessel boasts a 900 seat capacity main theatre, which covers an area of around 1,300m². This is arranged over three levels rising around 10m in height.

In addition, new features include a roller skating track, golf putting green, and golf and F1 Grand Prix simulators. Other novel facilities include a 4D cinema, a giant 18m² video screen in the central pool area, and a Playstation World area, dedicated to latest generation gaming, and said to be a ‘first’ for the global cruise industry.

In total, the vessel has three swimming pools and four jacuzzis, while other entertainment facilities include a casino, disco, dance club and a piano bar. There are also a total of four restaurants, including the Club Luminosa where cuisine supervised by the Michelin-starred chef Ettore Bocchia is served, and nine bar areas.

As well as a wide range of entertainment and leisure facilities, cruise ship customers – and regulators – increasingly require environmental responsibility, and Costa Luminosa delivers on this score as well. This is a relatively ‘green’ vessel and features, for example, low energy consuming lighting systems, a new type of glazing that is designed to reduce the power draw of the air conditioning systems, and a highly fuel efficient propulsion system. The new arrival is also the first Italian cruise ship to be equipped for ‘cold ironing’, whereby it can be plugged into a shoreside electrical power network while in port to reduce emissions.

Each MaK M43C engine on board is fitted with Flexible Camshaft Technology (FCT), designed to guarantee invisible smoke at all loads and NOx emissions below current IMO regulations. In addition, all the M43C series engines can be converted to MaK’s IMO II-compliant Low Emission Engine (LEE) standard at any time if the operator desires.

An energy efficient HVAC system has been supplied by Imtech Deutschland, with cabin ventilation equipment from Halton Marine of Finland, which delivered HMF semi-automatic cabin units. The latter are designed to combine quiet and comfortable air distribution with a minimal maintenance requirement.

Halton Marine has also delivered galley ventilation equipment for extracting contaminated air and excess heat from cooking equipment. The KVH water wash hoods delivered to Costa Luminosa include an automatic washing system that cleans the filter equipment and the exhaust plenum at a predetermined time without the need to remove the filters from the hood first.

The specification of the integrated dry, wet and food waste management systems, delivered as a package by Deerberg of Germany, further reflects environmental concerns. Included amongst this equipment is a plant for treating black water biologically before it is discharged, and all water discharge from the vessel is closely monitored.

Fincantieri accepts that there are few genuine technical ‘innovations’ on this ship. As the spokesperson points out, “It is very rare that an absolute novelty is ‘embarked’ on a ship. The industry tends to be rather conservative and wants to wait and see that a solution can be reliably and safely adopted on a complex design such as a cruise ship.”

Despite that, Fincantieri suggests that the electronic and digital controls within the various safety systems include the very latest technology, while onboard communication is similarly ‘state-of-the-art’. While not going into detail for obvious reasons, the yard notes that the security features are ‘complex and sophisticated’.

High specification electronics on Costa Luminosa include the Damatic DNA integrated automation system (IAS) from L-3 Valmarine of Norway, which controls and monitors all of the major machinery systems, including propulsion, switchboards, valve controls, fan and pump starter motors, level gauging, evaporators, fuel oil booster, air conditioning plant load, computer and VDR systems.

In total, the IAS monitors and controls around 9,600 signals, of which approximately 4,600 are hardwired and 5,000 are linked via serial interfaces. The onboard power management system is also integrated with the IAS.

A new feature supplied by Valmarine is the Information Management System (IMS), which keeps a record of all IAS signals, events and alarms for a period of one year. The IMS is seamlessly interfaced with the Damatic DNA equipment, facilitating access to system features.

One of the new IMS tools is a DNA tracer that combines trends, alarms, operator actions and user comments into a single trend viewer. Another tool that gives a new perspective to problem solving is the DNA replay, which works like a video recorder and makes it possible to replay data from the IMS history server directly on the system’s process mimics.

Safety equipment includes two KISS 800C enclosed lifeboats, and 12 MCP72 partly enclosed lifeboats, both from Umoe Schat-Harding, the manufacturer which has also delivered six tenders to the new ship. Navalimpianti’s semi-gravity type davits are fitted for handling the lifeboats and tenders, with telescopic davits for the liferafts and rescue boats. These davits have been designed to keep the promenade deck free from obstruction.

After preview cruises in the Mediterranean, Costa Luminosa is to be based in northern Europe (in Amsterdam) for the summer seasons in 2009 and 2010, from where the ship will undertake a series of 11- and 14-day cruises to the Baltic capitals, the Norwegian fjords and North Cape. Over the 2009-10 winter season the vessel is booked for a series of seven-day cruises in the Arabian Gulf, based from Dubai, which will also take in Muscat, Fujairah, Abu Dhabi and Bahrain.

Costa Luminosa is the 13th vessel in the Costa Cruises fleet and is the first of three new ships to be delivered by Fincantieri to the Italian company in less than one year. The Concordia-class Costa Pacifica (114,500gt and with a capacity of 3,780 guests), built at the Genova Sestri Ponente shipyard, was delivered on 29 May, while Costa Deliziosa, a sister to Costa Luminosa, under construction at the Marghera shipyard, will be delivered at the end of January 2010. Costa’s fleet expansion plan includes a further two new ships which are to be delivered by 2012.

Costa Luminosa was christened together with Costa Pacifica on 5 June in the port of Genoa. This is believed to be the first time that two cruise vessels have been officially named at the same time, and in the same place.