Record-breaking naming ceremony for two new Costa ships

Costa Luminosa (design pictured) and Costa Pacifica will both be named in Genoa on 5 June, the first time two cruise ships will have been named in a single ceremony, according to Costa Cruises, which has asked Guinness World Records to authenticate this fact.

Costa Luminosa was built at Fincantieri’s Marghera yard near Venice before travelling to Genoa to join Costa Pacifica at the Italian builder’s Sestri Ponente yard for the naming ceremony.

The 92,700gt Costa Luminosa has Panamax dimensions of 294m length and 32.25m beam. The ship can accommodate 2,828 passengers and 1,050 crew. The 114,500gt Costa Pacifica is 4m shorter than Costa Luminosa but 3m wider, and can carry 3,780 passengers and 1,110 crew.

Both ships have a service speed of 21.5 knots and a maximum speed of 23 knots. They were designed by Joseph Farcus; Costa Luminosa’s interior has ‘light’ as its theme and Costa Pacifica’s ‘music’.

The latest two newbuildings increase Costa’s fleet size to 14 ships, ranging ftom 30,000gt to 114,500gt. Three more are on order, also being built by Fincantieri:  the 92,700gt Costa Deliziosa, sister to Costa Luminosa, is scheduled for delivery in January 2010, and two sisters to Costa Pacifica will enter service in spring 2011 and 2012; these will be Costa’s fourth and fifth 114,500gt ships. The 17-ship Costa Cruises fleet will then be able to carry some 46,400 passengers.

• The naming ceremony will be simulcast online from 22:00 CET on 5 June and web users have been encouraged to take part by sending in photos, links and messages to www.worldofcosta.com