Costa Marina

Career
Name:	MS Regent Sun (1986) MS Italia (1987) MS Costa Marina 1988-present
Owner:	Carnival Corporation & plc
Operator:	Costa Cruises
Port of registry:	Italy, Genoa
Builder:	STX Finland Cruise Oy Turku, Finland
Yard number:	1169
Acquired:	1969
Homeport:	Genoa, Italy
Identification:	Call sign: IBNC IMO number: 6910544 MMSI no.: 247818000
Status:	Operational
Notes:	[1]
General characteristics
Tonnage:	25,500 GT 10,834 NT 6,121 DWT
Length:	571.8 ft (174.3 m)
Beam:	84.6 ft (25.8 m)
Draught:	0.01 m (0.39 in)
Decks:	9
Speed:	20.5 knots (38.0 km/h; 23.6 mph)
Capacity:	760 passengers
Crew:	389
Notes:	[1]

MS Costa Marina is a cruise ship owned and operated by the Italy-based Costa Cruises. She was built in 1969 by the Wärtsilä Turku Shipyard in Turku, Finland as the container ship MS Axel Johnson for the Sweden-based Rederi AB Nordstjernan. In 1986 she was sold to Regency Cruises with the intention of being converted into a cruise ship under the name MS Regent Sun, but she was laid up instead. In 1987 she was sold to and renamed MS Italia but continued laid up. In 1988 the ship was acquired by Costa Cruises, renamed Costa Marina and rebuilt into a cruise ship at the T. Mariotti shipyard in Genoa, Italy. She entered service as the Costa Marina in 1990.^[2][3] After a refurbishment^{[citation needed]} in 2002, she was marketed more towards German passengers.^[2] She is designed to blend together the outdoors with elegant Italian art.^{[citation needed]}

The Costa Marina will leave the fleet in November 2011 and Iberocruceros' Grand Voyager will assume her position in Red Sea cruises and it is unknown where she is going.^[4] On August 3, 2011 an article was released stated of a new ship to be built for Costa and the ship will be the replacement once Costa's older ships have been sold starting with the Costa Marina.^[5]

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "Advanced Masterdata for the Vessel Costa Marina". VesselTracker. 2011. http://www.vesseltracker.com/en/Ships/Costa-Marina-6910544.html. Retrieved 31 August 2011. 
2. ^ ^{a b} Asklander, Micke. "M/S Axel Johnson (1969)" (in Swedish). Fakta om Fartyg. http://www.faktaomfartyg.nu/axel_johnson_1969.htm. Retrieved 31 August 2011. 
3. ^ Piet Sinke (1 November 2002). "Passengerships Cruising in the Mediterranean". PSi-Daily Shipping News. Archived from the original on 13 June 2006. http://web.archive.org/web/20060613224212/http://www.ibiblio.org/maritime/Scheepvaartnieuws/Pdf/scheepvaartnieuws/2002/specialeedities/cruise-1.PDF. Retrieved 31 August 2011. 
4. ^ Staff writers (Thursday, 14 July 2011). "Costa Marina Leaves Fleet". Cruise Industry News. http://www.cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/5862-costa-marina-leaves-fleet.html. Retrieved 2 August 2011. 
5. ^ "Carnival Corporation & plc Orders New Ships for Its Costa Cruises and AIDA Cruises Brands" (Press release). Carnival Corporation & plc. 3 August 2011. http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/carnival-corporation--plc-orders-new-ships-for-its-costa-cruises-and-aida-cruises-brands-126651498.html. Retrieved 31 August 2011. 

External links

• Costa Cruises