MSC Cruises Celebrates Trio of Milestones as World America Delivered

MSC Cruises and French shipyard Chantiers de l’Atlantique celebrated a trifecta of milestones late last week, with the delivery of MSC World America, the coin ceremony for MSC World Asia and steel cutting for the newly named MSC World Atlantic.

MSC World America is the 23rd ship in the cruise line’s fast-growing fleet. It will be officially named on April 9 at the company’s new MSC Miami Cruise Terminal, which stakes a claim as the largest in the world. The company says the ship offers new venues and concepts tailored specifically to the North American market, combining European style with American comfort. 

“Today is a proud moment for all of us at MSC Cruises and Chantiers de l’Atlantique as we mark these major milestones in the development of our fleet,” said Pierfrancesco Vago, Executive Chairman, Cruise Division, MSC Group.

“Our new flagship is a testament to our long-standing, innovative partnership spanning over 20 years, resulting in five ground-breaking prototypes and 19 ships. Together, we continue to push boundaries, combining cutting-edge design, the latest technologies, and a richness of experiences to set new standards in cruising and always striving to further improve the environmental performance of each ship.”

Attendees for the MSC World America handover included Vago, Captain Gianluigi Aponte, Founder and Group Chairman of MSC; Laurent Castaing, Chantiers de l’Atlantique General Manager; and the French Minister for Industry and Energy, Marc Ferracci; together with representatives of MSC Cruises’ new build team and shipyard workers who built the ship over the last 30 months.

Laurent Castaing, General Manager, Chantiers de l’Atlantique, added an important note: “To date, MSC World America has the best energy efficiency design index (EEDI) from the IMO, and therefore the lowest carbon footprint of the entire cruise industry… and we will go even further with the two sister ships we are celebrating today!”

MSC World Asia celebrated its coin ceremony, during which commemorative coins were placed inside the ship as a sign of blessing during construction and to bring good fortune to the ship. Two godmothers, Marialuisa Iaccarino, VP Shore Excursions for MSC Cruises; and Flavie Biondo, Chargé d’affaires for Chantiers de l’Atlantique placed the coins in the ship’s hull. The ship will enter service during winter 2026-27 with Mediterranean cruises to destinations in France, Italy, Spain and Malta.

MSC Cruises’ third celebration was a steel cutting ceremony to start construction of the line’s fourth ‘World Class’ ship, due to enter service in 2027. The ship’s name — MSC World Atlantic –was revealed for the first time. MSC World Atlantic will offer cruises from Port Canaveral, sailing to the Caribbean starting with the winter 2027-28 season.

The World Class platform set new standards in cruising with the introduction of MSC World Europa in 2022, and it continues to evolve with each new ship. World Class ships are named in honour of the world’s continents and oceans, not necessarily indicating where they will be deployed. The naming convention reflects the global nature of MSC Cruises, which sails to all parts of the world.

MSC World America’s inaugural season of Caribbean cruises from Miami will start on April 12. 7-night Eastern Caribbean itineraries include calls at Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic; San Juan, Puerto Rico; and MSC Cruises’ private island — Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve. The ship’s 7-night Western Caribbean voyages will call at Costa Maya and Cozumel, Mexico; Isla de Roatan, Honduras; and Ocean Cay.