Costa Atlantica Receives Perfect Score for Vessel Sanitation

The Costa Atlantica, a member of the Costa Cruises fleet, scored a perfect 100 in a recent inspection conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The inspection was held on September 26 during a stopover in New York, one of the port calls of the Costa Atlantica during the latter part of her transatlantic cruise, which departed on September 16 from Savona and ended on October 3 in Quebec City (Canada).

The CDC inspections are part of the Vessel Sanitation Program (VSP), which was introduced in the early 1970s and involves all ships that stop in a US port. They are unannounced events and are carried out by officials from the USPHS (United States Public Health Service) twice a year. The score, on a scale from 1 to 100, is assigned on the basis of a checklist with some 48 areas of assessment encompassing hygiene and sanitation of food (from storage to preparation), water, shipboard personnel and the ship as a whole. A complete list of vessel sanitation scores can be found here.

This is the 6th time that the Costa Cruises fleet has received maximum marks from the CDC inspectors. The first vessel to obtain the perfect 100 was actually the Costa Atlantica herself in 2001, and she repeated this success in 2005; meanwhile the sister ship of the Costa Atlantica, Costa Mediterranea, obtained the top score in 2004, 2005 and 2006.

From October 3 the Costa Atlantica will be deployed on a series of three cruises along the Atlantic coast of Canada and the USA, an exclusive innovation offered by the Italian Company, to see the stunning natural spectacle of the fall foliage tinged with gorgeous autumnal shades. During the winter 2009/2010 season the Costa Atlantica will be engaged in 7-day Caribbean cruises with departures from Fort Lauderdale.