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Costa
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 In 1854 Giacomo Costa founded "Giacomo Costa fu Andrea", a small company dedicated to the small-scale trade of olive oil and fabrics. By 1924 "Giacomo Costa fu Andrea" had developed into a company producing olive oil and purchased the steamer Ravenna for the supply of raw materials.In February 1947, with the launch of the steamer Maria C., which also carried 50 passengers, the Costa Line company extended its business to incorporate passenger transport. The Birth of Cruising: Their first true passenger ship was the Anna C, bought in 1948. During the same year the company changed its name from "Giacomo Costa fu Andrea" to "Linea C". Costa Line mainly operated to South America, with occasional cruises from an early date, converting later to full time cruising. In the 1950s the transport of passengers developed even further. The "Linea C", the scheduled service which connects Europe to South America, grew rapidly with the introduction of new ships. In the Sixties, Costa Line was the first operator in the world to offer cruises in the Caribbean. At its peak it was the largest cruise company in the western world, second only to the Russian communist fleet in size. On the 31st January 1953 the Franca C. inaugurated its service for Venezuela and Costa Line's new service from Italy to Central America. The new route included stops in Naples, Barcelona, Funchal, Las Palmas, Curaçao, Fort de France and Point à Pitre. The new itinerary consolidated service to South America. While supporting the emigration flow, Costa prudently maintained limited luxury service, inaugurating the first and second class categories. Launched on March 31, 1957, the Federico C. was the first transatlantic specifically constructed for Costa Line. She soon became an icon of the company's innovative and pioneering spirit. The first ship in service between Europe and South America to have Denny Brown type stabilising fins to reduce rolling, the Federico C. was an extraordinary example that would soon be imitated by all other large transatlantic ships. The Bianca C. sailed its inaugural trip with Costa Line to Venezuela and Central America on April 2, 1959. The launch marked another milestone for Costa Line: Bianca C. was the largest and fastest passenger ship in service between the Mediterranean and the American continent. The elegant first class winter garden on the Bianca C. was one of the most popular spots with passengers during crossings. In 1966 Costa Line introduced the Eugenio C. on their main route to South America. She was the last classic transatlantic liner built in Italy and served on the South American service for 10 years. The last great transatlantic constructed for the national mercantile fleet. Eugenio C. was Nicolò Costanzi's last project whose hull design applied his ideas like the wave seat, special bow shape, and flow guide stern, able to enhance the hull's traditional shape. The interiors were designed by Nino Zoncada. As time passed, she spent more and more time devoted to cruising. After 1983 the only transatlantic voyages were positioning voyages. She was renamed Eugenio Costa in 1984. She sailed on her last cruise with Costa Line in November 1996 before being sold to other operators. Growth of the Costa Group: Starting in 1969, the Costa fleet considerably grew with the purchase of the Italnavi fleet, managed by the Costa Group on the Latin American routes. In 1974, the Costa Line bought out Sidarma, a business with service routes to Venezuela, Mexico and the Gulf of the United States, expanding its services with a new line (Saudi National Lines) from the U.S. to the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf. In 1968, the company's radical internal reorganisation, the exponential growth enjoyed by the cruise sector and the need to manage the fleet in a streamlined, financially viable manner led to some inevitable changes in the corporate structure. As a result, the company Costa Armatori S.p.A. was established, following the merger of Lloyd Tirrenico and Lloyd Tigullio, with the "Giacomo Costa fu Andrea" fleet coming under the management of this new company. In the 1980s the group began to focus on the cruise sector, and in 1986, following a radical internal reorganisation, Costa Crociere S.p.A. was established. As from this time, the full inscription "Costa" appeared on the side of the ships, alongside their name. In 1986 as part of the radical reorganisation, the cargo transportation division of Costa Line was sold to Contship and the company was renamed “Costa Container Lines" (CCL). After the Contship purchase, the control of the company moved to Ipswich and CCL experienced progressive reduction in personnel and services. In 1990, CCL's capacity consisted of one 480 teu vessel on time charter only, 12 teu slots for Venezuela departures, and a team of nine. In October 1990, Contship sold CCL to Calmedia (in which the Orsero Group of Albenga had taken a minority shareholding). Following this takeover, the fleet and the routes expanded: the traffic to South America increased and new service to Costa Rica was added. In February 1998, Blue Star Lines together with the majority shareholder of CCL were sold to P&O Nedlloyd. In July 1998, the final step was taken: CCL was bought out by the Orsero Group (GF Group). The control of the company returned to Italian hands and a new era of growth and development for Costa Container Lines started. In the 1990s Costa proposed a new product niche: the cruise within everyone's reach. In 1993 it became the first tour operator to introduce television advertising campaigns, with the slogan "We sail for your enjoyment". In the 1990s a new generation of passenger ships takes shape: engineers, architects, interior designers and artists join the team that designed and embellished the new fleet gems. The ship includes a new teak sea terrace, a beautify mosaic by Emilio Tadini in the theatre and a sculpture by the famous Arnaldo Pomodoro. Costa Classica took the high seas in April 1991. In July 1993, the two ships, Mermoz (former Jean Mermoz) and Pearl - the future Costa Playa - sailing under the French brand Croisières Paquet (Paquet Cruises), joined the Costa Group. Thus Paquet Cruises became part of the Costa Group. Mermoz was a famous ship on the French market, known for its cultural and theme itineraries. Takeover by Carnival Corporation: In 1997 Costa Crociere S.p.A was purchased jointly by Carnival Corporation and Airtours plc, in equal share. The change of ownership led to the company's internal reorganisation. The new structure influenced both the company's market positioning and its communication strategy. The pay off of the advertising campaign was "As great as the sea", reflecting the new global identity achieved by Costa Crociere. Meanwhile 1999 witnessed the start up of Costa Container Lines' new weekly service to Venezuela, Colombia, and Costa Rica, initially through chartered vessel and subsequently with owned vessels, thus taking the lead on this route. In June 2000, new service to Canada and Cuba was launched, which by the end of the year was complemented by an inter-Caribbean service to Mexico/Venezuela, calling ports in the whole area. In 2002, this service was extended to Brazil and Argentina, thus connecting the whole Caribbean area to South America. Over the years, agencies and subsidiary offices were opened in nearly all the countries visited, thus guaranteeing CCL service to customers. On January 1st 2004, volume increased again with the acquisition of Grandi Traghetti / Gilnavi, thus expanding the range of action to the whole Mediterranean and West Africa. In 2000, Costa Atlantica, the new Costa Crociera flagship was inaugurated and is the largest passenger ship to sail under the Italian flag and open outwards thanks to the balconies. The large Costa Altlantica smokestack towers 60.8 meters above the ship's keel. Inspired by the works of Federico Fellini, the ship is a tribute to the great director: photos of "La dolce vita", original film drawings by Milo Manara. Also in 2000 Carnival Corporation took over Airtours's 50% share in the company, thus gaining full control of Costa Crociere. As a result, the ships of the Costa fleet were able once more to fly the Italian flag; the construction of the sister ship of Costa Atlantica and two new ships, to be built by Fincantieri in Genoa, was announced. This launched Costa's major fleet expansion programme. Costa Crociere continued to be the symbol of Italian Style worldwide. Entering service in 2003, Costa Mediterranea was inspired by the ancient royal palaces in Italy. The new way to conceive cruise holidays inaugurated by Costa Mediterranea is joyful, colourful, elegant and rich in artwork. The elegant details and Renaissance and Baroque styles make this ship special. Inaugurated in 2003, Costa Fortuna is the heir of past luxury transatlantics inspired by the legendary Rex, Vulcania, Conte di Savoia and Raffaello. The 26 most beautiful Costa ship models tracing the company's history make for a beautiful display in the central hall. Emergence into the Carnival Corporation & PLC cruise empire: In 2003, Costa Crociere S.p.A. became part of the Carnival Corporation & PLC group, established that same year following the merger of Carnival Corporation and the UK's P&O Princess Cruises PLC. The new cruise empire, Carnival Corporation & PLC, became a world leader in the cruise sector. This strategic alliance shortly forestalled the entrance in the prestigious association World's Leading Cruise Lines. Entering service in 2004, Costa Magica is the ship dedicated to magical sites in Italy, reflected in the elegant internal rooms and magnificent external bridges: the Emerald Coast, Antique Ostia, the coast from Positano to Portofino and from Capri to Grado inspired the interior design. Italian - in taste, in style and in guest hospitality - has been a distinctive feature of Costa ships for over fifty years. On 1 November 2004, Costa Crociere acquired from Carnival Corporation & PLC its AIDA Cruises branch, a leader on the German market, with its four modern cruise ships. The AIDA ships, marketed in German-speaking countries, are marked for their young and informal style of service. Inaugurated in 2006, the Costa Concordia marks a new success for Costa: the magnificent Samsara Spa area, with direct access suites and ancient wellness rituals, meet new travellers' needs for entertainment, culture and relax. The first Grand Prix simulator and a giant screen near the pool are also on board. The new Costa gem is also the largest and most impressive ship in the fleet. 2006 was a crucial year for the expansion of Costa Crociere in Asia. In summer 2006, a ship - the Costa Allegra - began to plough through the seas of China, and in winter 2006/2007 two of the Group's ships - Costa Classica and AIDA Cara - began operating in Dubai. Also that same year, Costa Marina set sail from Singapore. Costa Serena, introduced in 2007, is the fun and relaxing ship. Rooms are inspired by the legends and architecture of Ancient Rome. Spacious and panoramic bridges, four pool, one with a moving glass roof, entertainment spaces, sports areas and the Samsara Spa make this ship a true floating resort. In 2007 a joint venture between Costa Crociere S.p.A. and Orizonia Corporaciòn was approved for the creation of the “Iberocruceros” brand, which is to operate within the Costa Group on the Spanish market. On 17 July 2007, Costa Crociere reached historical record figures, with over one million guests booked onto its ships in a single year. This record places the company in a leading position in the cruise sector. With twelve ships on active service and another five on their way by 2012, the Costa fleet is the largest and most modern of all European operators. Today Costa Crociere, Europe's Number One Cruise Line, is based in Italy (headquartered in Genoa) and boasts 60 years of rich history. In 2006, Costa Crociere carried a total of 880,000 guests, a figure which topped the historic 1 million mark in 2007. Its fleet is Europe's largest and most advanced with 12 ships in service and five on order. By 2012, the Costa fleet will be 17 strong with a total guest capacity of approximately 36,700. All the vessels fly the Italian flag and are deployed in the Mediterranean, Northern Europe, the Baltic Sea, the Caribbean, South America, Dubai, the Far East and the Indian Ocean. Costa Crociere S.p.A. is a subsidiary of Carnival Corporation & PLC, the world's largest cruise operator. In 2008 Costa Line celebrated 60 years of cruising which started for them in 1948 with the Anna C. Costa Crociere is the first company in the world that was awarded by RINA with the voluntary "Green Star" notation for the whole fleet. The assignment of the Green Star means that RINA has certified that all Costa's vessels are operated in an environmentally responsible manner and help protect the air and sea in the areas where they sail. The Green Star notation is based on the highest environmental protection standards for the prevention of pollution of the marine environment and it is actually stricter than the prevailing provisions of the international MARPOL convention. Since July 2005 Costa Crociere has been supporting the W.W.F. (World Wildlife Fund) for the protection of three of the most precious and endangered marine Ecoregions in the world: the areas of the Mediterranean Sea, the Greater Antilles, and north-eastern Brazil. Costa Crociere' s commitment is aimed at providing every passenger with informative and educational material. Furthermore, targeted operations will be carried out by WWF ITALIA in the three Ecoregions, thanks partly to the financial support of its new partner Costa Crociere and all its Guests. Looking to the future, the new majestic Costa flagship, Costa Pacifica (another of the Concordia class) will begin service in June 2009. Inspired by music, Costa Pacifica takes beauty and energy from a variety of styles: rooms were conceived and designed to take the best from the four previous ships. On board, Samsara Spa, Grand Prix simulator, external bridge with glass roof and theatre with exclusive sound technology. Then Costa Luminosa, the new spectacular Costa flagship based on the Vista class design of Holland America Line will be inaugurated in May 2009, a true crown for the entire fleet. Ship of light, Costa Luminosa will welcome guests with plays on light and elegant atmospheres, spacious rooms and precious artwork. On board, pleasing musts and exclusive new features: Samsara Spa, Golf simulator, 4D cinema and 800 seat theatre. Today, Costa Container Lines, the former container division of Costa Line which was separated from the cruise operations in the 1980s, is a modern company that guarantees the best in safety with fast, punctual and professional transportation. CCL is a modern shipping company with service lines to the Americas, the Mediterranean and Africa. On the But from the 1st January 2009, the Hamburg Süd shipping group replaced its Costa Container Lines (CCL) brand with the Hamburg Süd name in order to present itself worldwide under a unified brand. Sadly it was the end of an era as Costa Container Lines disappeared into history. Today only Costa Line (part of the Carnival Corporation & PLC group) lives on. Costa Line http://www.costacruises.com AIDA Cruises http://www.aida.de/ Iberocrucos http://www.iberocruceros.es/ Carnival Corporation & PLC http://www.carnivalplc.com http://www.carnivalcorp.com Costa Container Lines (CCL) http://www.costacontainer.com/ Hamburg Sud Group http://www.hamburgsud.com
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