MSC Confirms Order for Four Cruise Ships
MSC Cruises has confirmed orders for two additional ships in a $3.26 billion deal with STX France. “These are the biggest cruise ships built by a European operator – each using around 35,000 tons of steel,” the company said.
The announcement was made at the coin ceremony for the MSC Meraviglia. MSC Cruises confirmed the existing STX France options to build an additional two ships in the Meraviglia class. MSC now has four firm orders on the books from STX France, plus another three ships at Fincantieri.
The two new ships known as Meraviglia-Plus will feature increased tonnage and overall size. At 331 metres long (16 metres longer than the MSC Meaviglia) and with 200 more cabins, the two ships will feature a maximum capacity of nearly 6,300 guests.
MSC Cruises CEO Gianni Onorato said, “The beauty of these ships is that despite their size, they can fit into any port around the world. They are actually shorter than MSC Divina [by two metres], but wider. We call them ‘a ship for all seasons,’ and they could be in northern Europe, South America, the Caribbean or the Mediterranean – or Asia, China specifically.”
The ships are due for delivery in October 2019 and December 2020, which MSC said is nearly two years earlier than expected.
They will feature the first and only classic and contemporary fine art museum at sea. Additionally, Meraviglia and Meraviglia-Plus ships will aim to set a new technology standard through a recently announced partnership with Samsung to bring next-generation technology with everything from the latest displays and mobile solutions to medical equipment and products for enhanced reality experiences.
Over the last fiscal year, the company continued to expand its global reach beyond its core Mediterranean and Northern Europe offering by being the first global cruise line to make Cuba its homeport. It also announced the deployment of its first ship out of China. In the Caribbean, MSC Divina is now operating year-around from Miami and MSC Seaside will do the same from December 2017.