Costa Smeralda wraps up first LNG bunkering in Barcelona

Costa Smeralda, the new Costa Cruises liner, has completed its first liquefied natural gas (LNG) refueling in the port of Barcelona.

The Coral Methane tanker ship filled Costa Smeralda’s three tanks with a total of around 3,200 cubic meters of LNG, Costa Cruises said in its statement.

Two of these tanks measure around 35 meters in length and 8 meters in diameter, each with a capacity of 1,525 cubic meters. A third tank, measuring 5 meters in diameter, is 28 meters long and has a capacity of around 520 cubic meters.

With one complete LNG tank filling, which will always be done in Barcelona, even once the ship has started her regular cruises, Costa Smeralda can be powered for at least two weeks, the company said.

Costa Smeralda is the first Costa Cruises ship to be fueled by LNG both in port and at sea. The Costa Group has ordered a total of five new ships fueled by LNG to be delivered by 2023 and destined to significantly reduce the environmental impact of the entire fleet.

Barcelona is the first port to welcome Costa Smeralda after the ship left Meyer shipyard in Turku, where it was built. The next port of call will be Savona.

On December 21, Costa Smeralda will sail from Savona on its first 1-week cruise, calling at Marseilles, Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca, Civitavecchia and La Spezia.