MSC Cruises Orders Fifth Meraviglia Class Ship
by Daniel McCarthy
The MSC Cruises team at STX in France. Photo: MSC.
During a ceremony in Saint-Nazaire, France today, MSC Cruises announced that it has signed an order with Saint-Nazaire (STX) shipbuilders of France to build a new Meraviglia class cruise ship to be delivered in 2023.
The ship will be the fifth in MSC’s Meraviglia and Meraviglia-Plus class, joining Meraviglia, Bellissima, Virtuosa and Grandiosa. It will come into service at 1,087 feet-long, just about the same size as Meraviglia, and will be able to carry 4,816 guests at double occupancy with 1,704 crew members.
The ship’s addition marks the first time in the 50-plus year history of Saint-Nazaire shipyard that three ships from the same cruise brand are under construction at the same time.
Related Articles
“With the announcement of yet another new vessel, the 13th under our 10-year investment plan, we are affirming our commitment to sustainable growth for our Company. I say this while three more next-generation MSC Cruises are now simultaneously under construction,” Executive Chairman Pierfrancesco Vago said.
The ship will also continue MSC’s dedication to liquefied natural gas (LNG) power, that MSC previously spoke about with its World Class ships, as it will be powered by dual-fuel engines running on LNG. It will also sail with a wastewater treatment system onboard that MSC says will comply “with the world’s most stringent regulatory standards.”
MSC expects to christen MSC Bellissima in Southhampton on March 2, 2019 and Grandiosa in Hamburg in November 2019. Bellissima will mark the first time MSC for Me, the line’s technology platform that integrates a mobile app with smart technology that will allow crew members to identify guests before even speaking with them.
A rendering of the forthcoming MSC Bellissima. Photo: MSC.
Grandiosa is also expected to have a larger Mediterranean-style promenade, a Grand Canyon-themed Aquapark, a DOREMI Studio Lounge on its family deck, and more from MSC”s partnerships with LEGO and Cirque du Soleil at Sea.
MSC is also fresh off the christening of Seaview, the $900 million, 4,134-passenger, 18-deck that debuted in Genoa, Italy last week.
