TOM STRANG TO LEAD MARITIME DEVELOPMENT AND COMPLIANCE NEW FUNCTION WITHIN COSTA CROCIERE GROUP.

 

In order to ensure a continuous adjustment to industry regulations and safety standards, starting September 3rd this year the Costa Crociere Group has developed the new position of Senior Vice President Maritime Development and Compliance. Responsible for this new function is Tom Strang, reporting directly to Michael Thamm, CEO of the Costa Group.

 

Tom Strang, a British national, has the overall responsibility to support the Costa Group brands (Costa Cruises, AIDA and Iberocruceros) in ensuring that their maritime and safety processes, organization and people are the best in the industry. As well as ensuring compliance with all national and international rules, and industry standards he will lead the implementation of more advanced industry practices and a safety-centric culture.

 

During the month of September Tom will transition from his current role in Carnival Corporation's Corporate Maritime Policy group and work with all the involved people in Costa, AIDA and Ibero to develop the organization that can deliver on this important task.

 

During his career, Tom Strang has developed a wealth of experience. Since 2005 he has been Vice President of Maritime Policy and Regulation MP&C (Maritime Policy and Compliance, now CMP – Corporate Maritime Policy) where he has been responsible for all aspects of development of policy in relation to Health, Safety and Environment across the Carnival Group. In February 2000 he joined Carnival Corporate Shipbuilding where he was responsible for all aspects related to safety. In 2003 he transitioned to Corporate Maritime Affairs where he was responsible for technical aspects of maritime policy development across the Group. Prior to joining Carnival Tom Strang worked for Lloyd's Register in various international jobs and countries most of the time as a passenger ship specialist. He is also very active within our various trade associations chairing number of committees and panels.

 

Costa Cruises is Europe’s no. 1 cruise company (www.costacruise.com). For over 60 years its ships have plied the seas of the world, offering the best in Italian style, hospitality and cuisine and providing dream holidays with the utmost in terms of fun and relaxation. Its fleet has a total of 14 ships in service; a new ship has been ordered from Fincantieri and will be delivered in October 2014. 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 2008, thanks to the first voluntary pilot program in the maritime industry), environment (UNI EN ISO 14001, 2004), safety (OHSAS 18001, 2007) and quality (UNI EN ISO 9001, 2008) (www.costacruise.com/Best4). All the ships in the Costa fleet have been assigned RINA’s Green Star notation certifying that they are operated in compliance with the highest environmental protection standards. With revenues of 3.1 billion euros and 2.3 million total Guests in 2011, Costa Crociere S.p.A. is the largest Italian travel group and comprises the brands Costa Cruises, AIDA Cruises and Iberocruceros. Costa Crociere S.p.A. is a member of Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE: CCL; NYSE: CUK), the world’s largest cruise operator.