Tag Archives: MSC Cruises

MSC Cruises and Port of Kiel Inaugurate Shore Power Facility

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MSC Cruises and the port of Kiel have officially inaugurated the shore power facility at the Ostuferhafen Terminal this weekend during MSC Euribia’s maiden call, according to a statement. 

The ceremony was attended by Prime Minister of Schleswig-Holstein Daniel Günther and Lord Mayor Ulf Kämpfer as well as port representatives, technical partner Siemens, MSC Euribia’s Captain Christopher Pugh and senior representatives of the cruise line.

Earlier this year, MSC Cruises signed an agreement for its ships to plug into Kiel’s local power grid to supply electricity to hotel operations while at berth and reduce emissions. The ship will call in Kiel 20 times during the summer of 2024.

The MSC Euribia will also use the shore power facility at Hamburg during the winter 2023-24 season in Northern Europe. 

VP Sustainability and ESG at MSC Cruises Linden Coppell: “The inauguration of shoreside power at Kiel’s Ostuferhafen terminal is another step forward on our decarbonization journey.  We expect around 15 new ports between 2024 and 2026 to be added to the list of ports with shore-power facilities that MSC Cruises can use to access the electricity grids in Europe. This further demonstrates our commitment to, and continued progress towards, decarbonization, as well as reducing emissions from our vessels  while berthed in ports.“

MSC Preziosa Turns Ten Years Old

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The MSC Preziosa is completing ten years this month. Built at the Chantiers de l’Atlantique shipyard in St. Nazaire, the 140,000-ton vessel was delivered to MSC Cruises on March 13, 2013.

After leaving the French facility, the vessel offered a pre-inaugural cruise to the Mediterranean. Sailing to Portugal, Spain, France, Morocco and Italy, the one-way voyage ended in Genoa – where the ship was christened before officially entering service.

The ship was joined by the MSC Lirica and the MSC Splendida during the ceremony, which took place on March 24, 2013, and was attended by Sophia Loren, the Italian actress that served as godmother of the Preziosa and most of MSC’s newbuilds.

According to MSC, the event also included a high-profile gala dinner, and entertainment from top Italian and international performers in the company of celebrities, media, authorities and the company’s top management.

Following the ceremony, the MSC Preziosa kicked off its inaugural season in the Western Mediterranean.

Sailing from Genoa through the end of the European summer, the vessel offered a series of weeklong cruises during its maiden program.

Visiting Italy, Tunisia, Spain and France, the itinerary featured Naples, Messina, La Goulette, Barcelona and Marseille as ports of call.

In November, the MSC Preziosa crossed the Atlantic for the first time ahead of a winter season in Brazil.

Sailing from the Port of Santos during the entire 2013-2014 season, the vessel became the biggest and one of the newest cruise ships ever to sail from the South American country.

Completing MSC’s Fantasia Class, the MSC Preziosa offers most of the amenities of its sister ships, including a three-deck theatre, three pool decks, five restaurants, a complete wellness centre and more.

The 3,500-guest vessel also introduced new features such as Vertigo, a 120-meter-long waterslide, and the Doremi Castle Aqua Park, a water park for children.

Four MSC Cruises Ships Now in Service in the Caribbean

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With the MSC Seascape now sailing from PortMiami, MSC Cruises completed its Caribbean fleet for the 2022-2023 winter season.

One of the newest ships sailing in the region, the Seascape is the highlight of the deployment, which also includes the MSC Meraviglia, the MSC Divina and the MSC Seaside.

After being delivered in November, the newbuild was christened in New York City earlier this month and launched service from its South Florida homeport on Dec. 11.

A Seaside EVO Class ship, the Seascape is currently the newest and also one of the largest ships of the MSC Cruises fleet.

Set to serve the U.S. market year-round, the 4,560-guest vessel is now offering week-long cruises to the Caribbean departing from Miami.

Itineraries include visits to popular ports in the Eastern and Western Caribbean, including San Juan, Cozumel, George Cayman and Ocho Rios. Every cruise also features a visit to Ocean Cay, MSC’s private island destination in the Bahamas.

Sailing from Miami as well, the MSC Divina offers a seasonal program of three- to 10-night cruises, visiting additional destinations in the Southern and Western Caribbean, Central America and the Bahamas. Featured ports include Cartagena, Roatán, Limón and Freeport.

Based in Port Canaveral, the MSC Meraviglia is the third MSC cruise ship serving the North American market.

From its Central Florida homeport, the 2017-built ship offers a series of three- to seven-night cruises to the Bahamas and the Western Caribbean.

In addition to Ocean Cay and Nassau, itineraries include calls to Cozumel, Belize and Costa Maya.

A fourth vessel, the MSC Seaside is also offering a winter program in the Southern and Eastern Caribbean.

Departing from St. Maarten, Barbados and Martinique, the ships cater to other publics, including Europeans and Brazilians.

MSC is set to broaden its offering in North America and the Caribbean in 2023-2024, with five ships sailing from U.S. ports, and a sixth based in the South Caribbean.