COSTA ATLANTICA RECEIVES A PERFECT SCORE FOR VESSEL SANITATION

Ship Scores 100 out of 100 in an Inspection by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention


MIAMI (October 9, 2009) – The Costa Atlantica, a member of the Costa Cruises fleet, once again received a perfect score for vessel sanitation in a recent inspection conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).  The inspection was held on September 26 during a stopover in New York, one of the port calls of the Costa Atlantica during the latter part of her transatlantic cruise. The cruise departed on September 16 from Savona and ended on October 3 in Québec.

The CDC inspections are part of the Vessel Sanitation Program introduced in the early 1970s for all ships that stop in a U.S. port.  The inspections are unannounced and conducted by officials from the United States Public Health Service twice a year.  The score, on a scale from 1 to 100, is assigned based on a checklist with 48 areas of assessment, evaluating hygiene and sanitation of food (from storage to preparation), water, shipboard personnel and the ship as a whole.

This is the sixth time that the Costa Cruises fleet has received maximum marks from the CDC inspectors.  The first vessel to obtain the perfect 100 was the Costa Atlantica in 2001. She repeated this success in 2005, while her sister ship, the Costa Mediterranea, obtained a top score in 2004, 2005 and 2006.

On October 3, the Costa Atlantica began an inaugural series of three 11- to 13-night cruises through Canada and New England.  During the winter 2009/2010 season the Costa Atlantica will sail 7-night Caribbean cruises departing from Fort Lauderdale. After completing the winter Caribbean season from Ft. Lauderdale in April 2010, the Costa Atlantica will return to Québec as part of a limited series of 11- to 17-night routes throughout Canada and New England. The ship will then be positioned in Copenhagen sailing Northern Europe for the summer before embarking on another series of 11- to 17-night routes throughout Canada and New England.

The 86,000-ton (2,114 double occupancy) Costa Atlantica is dedicated to Italian art and culture, boasting design elements including Murano glass accents and in-laid mosaic tile, which provide a Venetian atmosphere to the elegant ship. All 12 passenger decks are a tribute to the life and work of Federico Fellini, Italy’s best known film maker, including a “Deck 8 1/2” in honor of one of Fellini’s most famous films. In addition, each deck is enriched with an original Milo Manara drawing evoking the film to which it is dedicated. The ship is a true floating museum of contemporary Italian art with over 400 original works of art featured by renowned and appreciated artists such as Paul Pennisi, Sergio Benvenuti, Luciano Vistosi, Lucio Bubbaco, Gian Maria Potenza, Gian Maria Ciferri, Inos Corradin and Carlo Moretti.

Costa is the only cruise fleet flying the Italian flag and therefore is the only line whose cruise ships are subject to more restrictive environmental, safety and social accountability regulations. Costa Cruises not only operates in accordance with the prevailing laws but also, where possible, seeks to preempt legislation, setting higher standards for itself and more ambitious objectives by means of internal procedures that go beyond the scope of mandatory requirements of local, national and international regulations.

Costa Cruises is Italy and Europe’s Number One Cruise Line.  For the past 60 years its ships have sailed the world, offering the best in Italian style, hospitality and cuisine and providing dream vacations with the best in fun and relaxation. In 2008, 1.2 million guests chose to cruise with Costa, a record for the European cruise industry. The company’s 14 fleet members, each with her own distinctive characteristics and unique style, all fly the Italian flag and sail each year to 250 destinations in the Mediterranean, Northern Europe, the Baltic Sea, the Caribbean, South America, the United Arab Emirates, the Far East and the Indian Ocean. Three additional ships are on order through 2012. In Mediobanca’s 2008 survey of over 3,700 Italian enterprises that recorded revenue of at least 50 million euros the previous fiscal year, Costa Crociere S.p.A. ranks 72nd in terms of sales and in 12th place in regards to profitability.