Costa Crociere S.p.A. is an Italian company with headquarters in Genoa. The brands AIDA Cruises and Costa Crociere belong to Costa Crociere S.p.A., and include a total of 15 ships in active service and 8 on order. All ships fly the Italian flag and operate in the Mediterranean, Northern Europe, the Caribbean, Central America, South America, Dubai and the Far East. Costa Crociere S.p.A. is part of Carnival Corporation & plc, world leader in the cruise industry.

Costa was the first cruise company to be awarded the voluntary “Green Star” notation in 2005 for its entire fleet by RINA, an Italian shipping certification agency. The notation certifies that all of Costa’s ships are operated in an environmentally responsible manner and help protect the air and sea in areas where they sail. Costa is also RINA certified with BEST 4, an integrated system of voluntary certification regarding corporate compliance with the highest international standards for social accountability, environmental protection, workplace health, safety and quality.

By awarding the “Green Star” RINA certifies that Costa ships do not damage the environment and that they contribute to keeping the air and the sea clean. “Green Star” certification means that Costa ships comply with the highest standards in environmental protection for prevention against the pollution of the air and the sea, going beyond regulations required by the international MARPOL standards in use. These standards assign ships a series of technical and managerial requisites that contribute to the safeguarding of the environment. The special “Green Star design” however, is only given to ships that, from the very first planning stage, are designed to guarantee maximum respect for the environment.

Costa Cruises is committed to the continued improvement of environmental management and respect for the legislation and regulations in force. As well as the “Green Star,” RINA also awarded the company “B.E.S.T. 4” status, a system of voluntary certification attesting to the best international standards in terms of social accountability (SA 8000 of 2001), the environment (UNI EN ISO 14001, 1996), safety (OHSAS 18001, 1999), and quality (UNI EN ISO 9001, 2000). Furthermore, as a means to best manage various environmental issues, in 2002 Costa Cruises established the Environmental Compliance Division to oversee environmental protection and compliance with related international legislation, appointing an official on board each ship specifically to help in this task. Costa Cruises' environmental protection program is outlined in its Environmental Compliance Plan (ECP), a manual that integrates perfectly with the safety management and pollution prevention system.

In addition, since July 2005, Costa has supported the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) for the protection of three of the most endangered marine Ecoregions in the world including areas of the Mediterranean Sea, the Greater Antilles and Northeastern Brazil. Targeted operations to assist these regions are carried out by WWF Italy via the generous donations of Costa guests and the company. Costa also provides its guests with informative and educational onboard material to highlight WWF’s efforts, including information for children who participate in Squok Club activities.

Costa Cruises is Italy and Europe’s number one cruise line. For the past 60 years its ships have sailed the world, offering the best in Italian style, hospitality and cuisine and providing dream vacations with the best in fun and relaxation. In 2007 over 1.1 million guests chose to cruise with Costa, a record for the European cruise industry. The Company’s 12 fleet members, each with her own distinctive characteristics and unique style, all fly the Italian flag and sail each year to 250 destinations in the Mediterranean, Northern Europe, the Baltic Sea, the Caribbean, South America, the United Arab Emirates, the Far East and the Indian Ocean.

Five more vessels have been commissioned and will enter service by 2012. Costa Cruises has been certified by RINA (Italian Shipping Register) with the BEST4, an integrated system of voluntary certification of corporate compliance with the highest standards governing social accountability (SA 8000, issued in 2001), environment (UNI EN ISO 14001, 1996), safety (OHSAS 18001, 1999) and quality (UNI EN ISO 9001, 2000). All Costa’s ships have been awarded RINA’s voluntary “Green Star” notation based on the highest environmental protection standards. Costa Cruises is also an official partner of the WWF for the protection of the marine ecoregions of the Mediterranean, the Greater Antilles and Brazil.