MSC Cruises Orders Two More World Class Ships, Floats Out MSC World Asia
by Dori Saltzman
MSC World Asia during its float out. Photo: Bernard Biger
MSC Cruises has placed an order for two more World Class ships with Chantiers de l’Atlantique. Valued at 3.5 billion euros, the seventh and eighth ships in the class are scheduled for delivery in 2030 and 2031.
MSC announced the order during a double celebration at the Chantiers de l’Atlantique shipyard in Saint Nazaire, France for the float out of MSC World Asia and a coin ceremony for MSC World Atlantic.
“We mark a proud moment today for MSC Cruises and Chantiers de l’Atlantique as we celebrate important milestones for our future – the float out of MSC World Asia, the coin ceremony of MSC World Atlantic and the order of two new ships,” said Pierfrancesco Vago, executive chairman, cruise division for MSC Group. “The World Class platform is a symbol of our vision to set new standards for the future of cruising.”
Construction of World Class 7 and 8 will begin in 2029. They will follow in the footsteps of MSC World Europa, which debuted in 2022, and MSC World America, which debuted this year. MSC World Asia and MSC World Atlantic are scheduled to arrive in 2026 and 2027, respectively.
MSC World Asia Float Out
MSC World Asia achieved a major milestone in its construction with its float out at the shipyard. The ship now enters the next phase of construction and is on schedule for delivery in November 2026. It will debut in the Mediterranean, offering seven-night sailings to destinations through the Western Med, including Barcelona, Marseille, Genoa, Civitavecchia, Messina, and Valletta.
Simultaneously, MSC celebrated the initial phases of construction of MSC World Atlantic, with a coin ceremony during which the vessel’s godmothers from both the cruise line and the shipyard placed commemorative coins inside the ship to bring good fortune. MSC World Atlantic will enter service in 2027, offering Caribbean sailings from Port Canaveral starting with the winter 2027/28 season.
