Tag Archives: Chantiers de l’Atlantique

MSC Virtuosa Gains RINA’s ‘Watchful Security’ Certification

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MSC Virtuosa just entering the River Mersey, Liverpool. Photo credit Dave Jones.

MSC Cruises has announced that it has received classification society RINA’s ‘Watchful’ certification of technology qualification for the security system (CCTV) onboard its flagship, the MSC Virtuosa.

According to a press release, the process consists of the validation of novel technology – or an existing one applied to a new environment – to verify, among other requirements, its fitness for purpose, its safety and reliability, and its compliance with the regulatory framework.

The 181,000-ton MSC Virtuosa was delivered earlier this year by shipbuilders Chantiers de l’Atlantique of Saint-Nazaire, France. Following her maiden season this summer in British waters, the MSC Virtuosa will be deployed for winter 2021/22 in the Gulf region and homeport in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates where the ship be named on Nov. 27.

MSC said that the ‘Watchful’ certification is based on the system’s compliance assessment with the applicable international guidelines and RINA’s standards and follows thorough technical analysis to ascertain that the CCTV system is “flawlessly integrated” with the compulsory mooring and docking camera system.

RINA’s certification also verified MSC Virtuosa’s CCTV systems’ compliance with MSC Cruises’ safety and security operational requirements to support the crew in the identification of problems that might occur onboard.

According to the press release, the CCTV network configuration and the “excellent coverage, quality and reliability” allow the collection of evidence in the event of an incident or investigation undertaken by both the cruise line and any relevant external authorities. The number of TV cameras has been reduced thanks to the optimization study of ‘blind spots’ and the comprehensive footage monitoring of restricted areas.

Coin ceremony held for MSC Cruises’ first LNG-powered ship

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Construction Begins on 205,700 Gross Ton MSC Europa

The traditional coin ceremony has taken place for MSC Cruises’ first liquified natural gas-powered ship, MSC World Europa.

The ceremony, which is a historical sign of blessing at the start of a ship-building process, took place at the Chantiers de l’Atlantique shipyard in Saint-Nazaire on Monday.

The 200,000-plus gross ton MSC World Europa is scheduled to enter service in 2022 and will be “one of most technologically- and environmentally-advanced LNG-powered cruise vessels in its class”, the line said.

Pierfrancesco Vago, executive chairman of MSC Cruises, said: “MSC World Europa is further proof of our commitment to environmental stewardship as she is set to reduce carbon emissions even further than many other existing cruise ships powered by LNG, which is currently the most environmentally-friendly fuel for commercial maritime operations.

“With this vessel, we also reconfirm our belief in investing in advanced environmental technology to meet our long-term goal of zero emissions from operations.”

Laurent Castaing, general manager of Chantiers de l’Atlantique, added: “We are proud to start the building of a ship which will set the standards for the cruise of the future. This is a major milestone in the history of our 20-year cooperation with MSC Cruises, which has already resulted in some of the most innovative cruise ships ever built.”

MSC Europa Itinerary, Current Position, Ship Review | CruiseMapper

MSC World Europa will feature a new 50-kilowatt demonstrator system that incorporates solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) technology and uses LNG to produce electricity and heat onboard, the first time an LNG-powered fuel cell has been used on a cruise ship.

The line says the system will reduce emissions of greenhouse gases by about 30% compared with a conventional LNG engine, with no emissions of nitrogen oxides, sulphur oxides or fine particles.

MSC World Europa will also feature a new generation wastewater treatment system and other “cutting-edge environmental technology”.

MSC Cruises’ new flagship MSC Virtuosa is currently under construction in Saint-Nazaire and is due for delivery in 2020. The company also has firm orders with Chantiers de l’Atlantique for two additional LNG-powered ships, once each for the MSC World and Meraviglia classes of ships.

MSC Cruises expanding World-class, and more

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 MSC's first World class ship is due in 2022.
MSC’s first World-class ship is due in 2022. MSC Europa.

 MSC Cruises ordered two more cruise ships in its World-class and agreed to develop two additional ship classes. One will have at least four vessels and the other could use wind power.

The two firm ships orders and memorandum of understanding to build the two new prototypes represent a combined value of about $7 billion.

An agreement for the ships and prototypes was made with French shipyard Chantiers de l’Atlantique.

MSC placed orders for its third and fourth World-class ships, powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG), to be delivered in 2025 and 2027.

The new four-ship class will also be LNG-powered, MSC said, while another prototype will incorporate emerging technologies such as wind power.

MSC executive chairman Pierfrancesco Vago said that the investments “confirm this industry’s commitment to environmental sustainability.”

The four new vessels will represent a capital investment exceeding $4.4 billion, MSC said, adding to the $2.2 billion for the two additional World Class ships.

The Chantiers shipyard in Saint-Nazaire, France, is currently building the first two ships in the line’s World-class. The first of those 5,264-passenger, 205,000-gross-ton vessels, due to enter service in 2022, will be the largest ship operated by a European cruise line.