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COSTA EUROPA
Flag-waving fanfare for Genoa christening
May 1, 2002 - Costa Crociere's eighth ship, the Costa Europa, has been christened in Genoa amid invited guests including politicians, show business personalities, intellectuals, and industrialists from around the world.
After a parade of seamen in uniform bearing the four flags of the European Union and the 15 flags of the Member States, the traditional bottle of champagne was broken against the side of the ship by the special guest and godmother, Piia-Noora Kauppi, the youngest Scandinavian member of the European parliament.
The Costa Europa left Genoa on April 27 on her maiden cruise to Greece. Throughout the summer she will be operating amidst the spectacular, unique and exclusive scenery of Northern Europe - from the great capitals of the North to the Spitzbergen Islands, beyond North Cape.
Pier Luigi Foschi, the Costa chairman, said: "The christening of the Costa Europa, an elegant ship with her own distinctive personality, means we have fulfilled the first of the commitments we undertook when we defined the fleet expansion programme. With a total investment of over 1.5 billion euros, we will be welcoming three more new ships by 2004."
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