Costa Cruises, the Italian cruise line owned by Carnival Corporation, has become the first cruise line to obtain a new Biosafety Trust Certification.

The certification has been issued by Rina – the 150-year-old testing, inspection, certification and ship classification company.

Carried out through audits, examines all aspects of life on board the ship and on shore (on excursions and boarding). The process then assesses the compliance of the system with the scheme procedures aimed at the prevention of infections.

To obtain the certification from Rina, crew have to complete a series of specific training modules complying with the new health and safety protocols.

These training modules cover life on board the ship, as well as embarkation in the terminals and during shore excursions.

This has led to the creation of the Costa Safety Protocol, a new health protocol developed by the cruise line in conjunction with independent health experts.

Costa is set to resume services on 6 September, with a sailing scheduled to depart from Trieste.

In accordance with the new certificate, the company must perform all antigenic Covid-19 swab tests on embarking guests.

The quick test will identify any suspect cases, which may then be subjected to a PCR test for further inspection. This will then determine whether or not the guest is allowed to embark the ship. Costa is also offering guests the option to subscribe to a dedicated insurance, covering them for such issues.

While Costa Cruises is due to resume its operations in September, the company is only offering itineraries sailing in Italy, exclusively for Italian guests.

Starting from 6 September, Costa Deliziosa will sail every Sunday until 27 September from Trieste – stopping at Bari, Brindisi, Corigliano-Rossano, Siracusa and Catani.

Costa Diadema will then follow, sailing from 19 September on a seven-day cruise from Genoa to Rome, Naples, Palermo, Cagliari and La Spezia.