Monday 16 April 2012

Costa Concordia

Costa Concordia is a Concordia-class cruise ship owned and operated by Costa Cruises. She was built at Fincantieri's Sestri Ponente yards in Italy. The name Concordia was intended to express the wish for "continuing harmony, unity, and peace between European nations".
She is the first ship in the Concordia class, with sisters Costa Serena, Costa Pacifica, Costa Favolosa, Costa Fascinosa and Carnival Splendor built for Carnival Cruise Lines. Costa Concordia entered service in July 2006 and is the largest ship to be built in Italy, at 114,500 tons.
The ship garnered international attention in January 2012 when she ran aground off Isola del Giglio, Italy, resulting in the evacuation of over 4,000 people on board. At least 3 passengers died, 42 others were injured, and 41 are still unaccounted for.


The then-unnamed ship was ordered on 19 January 2004 in Fincantieri and built in the Sestri Ponente yard in Genoa, as yard number 6122. She was launched at Sestri Ponente on 2 September 2005,and at the time of her construction was the largest Italian cruise ship ever built. She was delivered to Costa on 30 June 2006.


Costa Concordia is 290.20 metres (952 ft 1 in) long, with a beam of 35.50 metres (116 ft 6 in) and a draught of 8.20 metres (26 ft 11 in). She is propelled by six Wärtsilä diesel engines of 75,600 kilowatts (101,400 hp), which can propel her at 19.6 knots (36.3 km/h).


Costa Concordia has 1,500 staterooms; 505 have private balconies and 55 have direct access to Samsara Spa; 58 suites have private balconies and 12 have direct access to the spa. Costa Concordia has one of the world's largest wellness centers at sea, the Samsara Spa, a two-level, 6,000 m (20,000 ft) wellness area, with gym, a thalassotherapy pool, sauna, Turkish bath and a solarium. The ship has four swimming pools, two with retractable covers, five spas, and a poolside screen on the pool deck.
There are five onboard restaurants, with Club Concordia and Samsara taking reservations-only dining. There are thirteen bars, including a cigar and cognac bar and a coffee and chocolate bar.


Entertainment options include a three-level theater, casino, and a discotheque. There is a children's area equipped with PlayStation products. The ship has a Grand Prix motor racing simulator and an Internet café.



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