Costa Cruises boasts one of the biggest and most advanced fleets on the continent: nine ships with guest capacity of about 13,000.
The company began operations in the1860s when its first ship was used to transport olive oil from the family-owned refinery in Genoa - still the home of Costa Cruises - to South America.
Under the ownership of Carnival, Costa operates cruises all over the world including the Caribbean, Northern Europe, South America and, of course, the Mediterranean where it is by far the largest cruise operator. It will also be cruising out of China, Singapore and Dubai in 2006.
All of Costa's ships fly the Italian flag. It is a member of the exclusive World's Leading Cruise Lines alliance, which also includes Carnival Cruise Lines, Holland America Line, Cunard Line, Seabourn Cruise Line, Windstar Cruises, Princess Cruises, P&O Cruises, Ocean Village, Swan Hellenic, AIDA, AÕROSA and P&O Cruises Australia.
A leading player
