COSTA SMERALDA

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Passenger died on board

The Savona Prosecutor's Office has opened a case of manslaughter against unknown persons for the death of Paola Arata, an 68-year-old tourist from Rapallo who died on Nov 14, 2023, on the 'Costa Smeralda' off the coast of Barcelona. The woman's body reached the port of Savona in the morning on board the ship, after which it was transferred to the morgue of the San Paolo hospital. On No 22 the the Prosecutor's Office will entrust the task of carrying out the autopsy to the medical examiner. Meanwhile, on the instructions of the public prosecutor Giovanni Battista Ferro, Polmare investigators boarded the ship and carried out some checks on the hygienic conditions on board the ship and listened, in addition to the medical staff, to some operators. In the evening, the 'Costa Smeralda' set sail for Marseille. Paola Arata embarked on Nov 11 at the port of Savona for a cruise in the Western Mediterranean. When the woman boards the Costa Smeralda, several cases of gastrointestinal virus have already been recorded on the ship. And already the week before, safety measures had been put in place on board due to the virus that was spreading among passengers. En route to Barcelona the woman felt some discomfort due to intestinal problems, as the investigators found. A few hours later, while the ship was already sailing between Barcelona and Palma, the woman's condition worsened. The on-board emergency service with the doctor then intervened in her cabin, but Paola Arata died shortly after.

Allision in Savona

While manoevering in the port of Savona upon its arrival in the morning of Jan 22, 2021, the 'Costa Smeralda' the ship allided with the Colacem terminal. With its port side it slammed along the elevators and caused damage to the terminal silos plant, to an elevator that was pushed off the tracks as well as to the fixed structures. A lifeboat of the vessel was crushed, torn open and fell into the water. A fender was pushed onto the quayside under the pressure. The Port Authority, the Port Authority and the police attended on the quay. Fortunately there were no injuries. A steering mistake was thought to have contributed to the accident. The ship had sailed from Civitavecchia on Jan 20 and berthed at the terminal of Costa Crociere at 8 a.m. Italian report with photos and video: https://www.lavocedigenova.it/2021/01/22/leggi-notizia/argomenti/cronaca-5/articolo/savona-costa-smeralda-sbaglia-manovra-e-danneggia-gru-e-le-strutture-fisse-foto-e-video.html https://www.ilsecoloxix.it/savona/2021/01/22/news/savona-la-nave-costa-smeralda-urta-la-banchina-e-danneggia-una-gru-durante-l-attracco-una-scialuppa-finisce-in-mare-1.39805997

Third Costa ship resumes cruising

Starting on Oct 10, 2020, the 'Costa Smeralda' will sail Italy and, from Nov 14, will resume its one-week itinerary to Italy, France and Spain from Savona. Five Italy cruises will run until Nov 7 and include Savona – from where passengers can visit Genoa or Finalborgo – and La Spezia, with excursions to Cinque Terre, Lerici, Florence or Pisa. Cagliari and Naples will follow, with visits to Sorrento, Pompei and the Royal Palace of Caserta. Thevessel will then sail to Messina for excursions to Mount Etna and Taormina, before heading to Civitavecchia which will enable passengers to visit Rome and Tarquinia, being the third Costa Cruises vessel, after the 'Costa Deliziosa' and 'Costa Diadema', to resume sailing since COVID-19 halted operations. Antigen swab test for guests and crew before embarkation, temperature checks, specially chosen excursions based on their safety, physical distancing and a reduced number of passengers are among the measures in place.