Tag Archives: Fincantieri shipyard

Koningsdam 2016 delivery delayed

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Holland America Line is moving back the delivery date of the Koningsdam to “more fully leverage the new features, innovations and state-of-the-art technology to further enhance the guest experience.”

Originally scheduled to be delivered by shipyard Fincantieri on Feb. 16, 2016, the ship will now be handed over on March 31. HAL said the delay was a joint decision with Fincantieri.

The 99,500-gross-ton Koningsdam will be HAL’s largest ship and includes a new hull design and an array of new venues and innovations.

With the postponement, HAL is also moving back the date of the inaugural cruise. The seven-day roundtrip voyage from Civitavecchia, Italy, will now depart on April 8, 2016.  The ship’s official naming celebration remains as scheduled on May 21, 2016, in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

Virgin in ‘final throes’ of negotiating deal for two cruise ships

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Virgin Group is weeks away from signing an order for two new cruise ships worth several billion dollars.

Virgin founder Sir Richard Branson boss is to commission the construction of two large vessels as part of ambitious plans to enter the burgeoning cruise sector.

He revealed the move in an interview with The Telegraph as Virgin Trains took over the running of the East Coast train line between London and Edinburgh.

The ships are likely to be built in a German or Italian shipyard and will take four to five years to complete, at a cost of about $1.7 billion.

“We’re in the final throes of those negotiations,” Sir Richard said.

Financial backing for Virgin Cruises, which will be based in Miami, has been secured from private equity firm Bain Capital.

Tom McAlpine, part of the management team that founded Disney Cruise Line in 1996, has been appointed to head the new Virgin cruise venture.

MSC Cruises’ Two New “Seaside” Vessels

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By Aaron Saunders

It’s hard to believe that a decade ago, the MSC Cruises fleet was only made up of a handful of ships, most of which were second-hand tonnage. Now, the line has just announced a deal with Italian shipyard Fincantieri for two brand-new ships to join the popular cruise line’s current fleet of 12 modern megaships. What a difference a decade makes.

MSC's new "Seaside" class of cruise ships will debut in 2017-2018. Rendering courtesy of MSC Cruises.
MSC’s new ‘Seaside’ class of cruise ships will debut in 2017-2018. Rendering courtesy of MSC Cruises.

Dubbed Seaside, these two ships will be the largest vessels ever constructed by Fincantieri, and the largest to ever sail for MSC. Purpose-built to cruise the Mediterranean, Caribbean and South America, each vessel will be 1,060 feet in length, with a width of 135 feet. Towering 230 feet in height, they will carry up to 5,300 passengers along with a crew of 1,413. The new vessels will have a total gross tonnage of 154,000.

For MSC Cruises, it’s a special moment. The company says the two ships represent the last piece of its plan to double the capacity of its fleet by 2022. With the arrival of the new ships MSC Cruises will reach a capacity of about 80,000 passengers a day.

The €700 million vessels will boast sea-level promenades that will circumnavigate the sides of the ships with outdoor deck spaces, shops and restaurants. They will also combine the best features of MSC’s previous vessels, including the highly-popular MSC Yacht Club, along with new technology that allows for greater efficiency including reduced fuel consumption and advanced safety systems that the company says go “beyond what is required by international regulations.”

In addition, both ships will feature expanded deck space and panoramic glass elevators.

Below the MSC Video of Both Classes; Seaside and Vista Class

MSC Two New Ship Classes Seaside and Vista

Both ships are as-yet-unnamed. The first Seaside-class ship will debut in November of 2017, with MSC taking delivery of the second in May, 2018. MSC also holds the option for a third Seaside-class vessel with Fincantieri that could be exercised if the company wishes.