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Costa to build the biggest - and greenest - passenger ships ever to take to the ocean

The new generation of Costa ships

COSTA Cruises is to build the two largest – and most environmentally friendly – passenger vessels ever to take to the high seas, it has announced.

It claims the liners, which will be the biggest in the world based on total capacity, are the ‘next generation’ of cruise ship.

With more than 2,600 guest cabins apiece, up to 6,600 passengers will be able to travel on the ships at any one time.

The current largest, Royal Caribbean’s Allure of the Seas, has a maximum capacity of 6,296.

Costa also claims the fleet will be the most environmentally friendly cruise ships ever built.

The two vessels will be powered solely by liquefied natural gas. This, it is hoped, will dramatically cut carbon exhaust emissions compared with the current generation of cruise ships that mostly use a combination of gas turbines and diesel, the Daily Telegraph reports.

Neil Palomba, president of Costa Cruises, said: 'The two Costa ships are a real innovation for the market, setting new standards for the whole industry.

'The order also confirms that the Costa brand will continue to grow, becoming even stronger and keep on generating a positive economic impact in the main countries where it operates, including Italy.’

The company is looking to move on from the negative publicity following the Costa Concordia disaster that saw one of its ships capsize in January 2012 after striking rocks just off the Tuscan coast.

In February this year, ‘Captain Calamity’, Francesco Schettino, was found guilty of manslaughter of the 32 passengers who died, and sentenced to 16 years in prison.

The two new ships, each weighing more than 180,000 tons, will be built by Meyer shipyard in Turku, Finland, and are expected to be completed in 2019 and 2020.

Costa’s German brand, Aida Cruises, is also getting two new ships as part of a multibillion-dollar contract between Carnival Corporation (of which Costa is a subsidiary) and several major European shipyards.

According to the press release, Italian 'style, hospitality, gastronomy and entertainment’ will be central to the passenger experience, with Costa expecting to hire approximately 750 Italian crewmembers.

Picture from Costa Cruises