Tag Archives: MSC Seascape

MSC Cruises and Fincantieri mark float out of MSC Seascape

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169,400-gt MSC Seascape will be able to accommodate up to 5,877 guests with 13,000 m2 of outdoor space (source: Fincantieri)MSC Seascape will be delivered in November 2022 from Fincantieri, the second Seaside EVO-class ship to enter the MSC Cruises fleet, and the fourth vessel in the line’s Seaside class
MSC Cruises executive chairman Pierfrancesco Vago said, “The float out of MSC Seascape marks yet another significant milestone in the growth of our fleet and the vessel will pay homage to the oceans through yet another host of highly innovative maritime and design features.“We have continued with our ambitious new build plans in spite of the pandemic, and today is a double celebration for MSC as our next flagship MSC Seascape is floated out into water simultaneously as its sister ship MSC Seashore is officially named at our private island, Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve.


“MSC Seascape – together with MSC Seashore – features some of the latest environmental technologies and solutions to minimise its impact on the environment which will help us take a further step forward towards realising our ambition of achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050”.Fincantieri chief executive Giuseppe Bono said, “Such an imposing ship makes it even more suggestive to reflect on the enormous work behind its construction. We began the work on MSC Seascape almost concurrently with the onset of the emergency and today, together with an established operator like MSC, we celebrate its float-out in line with pre-pandemic plans. The great determination in respecting production commitments and preserving the entire orderbook has become the hallmark of our Group, an authentic cornerstone of the culture of the company, and there could not be a better precondition for looking to the future with renewed confidence”.169,400-gt MSC Seascape will be able to accommodate up to 5,877 guests with 13,000 m2 of outdoor space.MSC Seascape’s environmental technologies will include selective catalytic reduction systems on each of its four Wärtsilä 14V 46F engines to reduce nitrogen oxide emissions by up to 90% by converting the gas into harmless nitrogen and water, plus hybrid exhaust gas cleaning systems to remove 98% of sulphur oxide from ship emissions.


Fincantieri added in a statement that the vessel is fitted with best-in-class wastewater treatment systems with purification standards that are higher than most wastewater treatment facilities on land, advanced waste management systems, ballast water treatment systems approved by the US Coast Guard, the latest-technology systems for the prevention of oil discharges from machinery spaces and various effective energy-efficiency improvements – from heat recovery systems to LED lighting able to save energy. The ship will also feature an underwater radiated noise management system to reduce and isolate the potential effects on marine mammals.

Steel Cut for Explora II, Second Ship for MSC’s New Luxury Cruise Brand

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The first steel of the Explora II, the second of four new-concept luxury cruise ships that Fincantieri is building for Explora Journeys, the new luxury cruise brand by MSC Group, was cut today at the Castellammare di Stabia (Naples) shipyard.

The order for this class of ships, announced in 2018, is worth a total of over 2 billion euros.

The Explora I is currently under construction in Monfalcone, while the Explora II will be built at the Sestri Ponente (Genoa) yard, with deliveries respectively in 2023 and 2024.

A traditional maritime ceremony took place today at its Castellammare di Stabia yard near Naples for the first steel to be cut for the second vessel. Attending the event, among others, were MSC Executive Chairman, Pierfrancesco Vago, Explora Journeys CEO, Michael Ungerer, and Fincantieri General Manager Merchant Ships Division, Luigi Matarazzo.

“The start of Explora Journeys’ second ship signals our firm commitment to our tourism partners for the coming-to-market of our new luxury brand with a significant financial investment in a fleet of innovative, elegant ships, that will bring together our vision and purpose to create an ocean state of mind like no other. Given our belief in this brand to create a new category in luxury, lifestyle travel, we will continue to invest in its expansion to attract the growing number and aspirations of the next generation of discerning luxury travellers,” said Vago.

Michael Ungerer, CEO of Explora Journeys, added: “We are greatly encouraged by the tremendous enthusiasm and support we have received so far from the travel advisor community who have placed their trust in Explora Journeys since our launch in June and for their overwhelming response to our exclusive `By Appointment’ service and innovative commercial terms … Explora Journeys has also been awarded ‘preferred’ status with a number of leading travel agency groups, an honour not normally bestowed on a brand prior to its coming into service, that demonstrates an unprecedented recognition from the luxury travel industry and which reinforces our commitment to, and confidence, in our robust B2B2C strategy.”

According to a press release, all four vessels will have a gross tonnage of approximately 64,000 tons and will feature the latest maritime and environmental technologies and solutions available. Each is equipped with 461 guest suites.  

Including these four vessels, the partnership between Fincantieri and the cruises division of MSC Group counts eight ships to date: the MSC Seaside and MSC Seaview, delivered in 2017 and 2018, and the two enriched Seaside Evo ships – the MSC Seashore, delivered in July, and her sister ship, the MSC Seascape, which will enter into service next year. 

MSC Takes Delivery of Seashore from Fincantieri

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MSC Cruises has officially taken delivery of its new flagship, the MSC Seashore, from Fincantieri’s Monfalcone shipyard. According to a press release, the 4,560-passenger Seashore is the largest cruise ship to be built in Italy.

Sister ship MSC Seascape is still under construction at the shipyard and is due to come into service in winter 2022.

MSC said that an intimate ceremony was held to mark the occasion as tradition dictates at the Fincantieri shipyard in Monfalcone and was attended in person by MSC Cruises Executive Chairman Pierfrancesco Vago, other members of the Aponte and Aponte-Vago families, Giampiero Massolo and Giuseppe Bono, Chairman and CEO of Fincantieri, as well as representatives from MSC’s new builds team along with executives and workers from the shipyard.

During the ceremony, which pays tribute to centuries-old maritime traditions, Roberto Olivari, Fincantieri’s shipyard director, presented to Giuseppe Galano, master of the MSC Seashore, an ampoule containing the water that first touched the hull when the ship was floated out earlier this year.

“The construction of MSC Seashore is an investment that generates a direct and indirect economic impact of almost 5 billion euros on the Italian economy. At the same time, it’s coming into service also activates an important economic and employment driver for coastal communities and much beyond, generating a further significant economic impact every year for the tourism industry,” Pierfrancesco Vago, executive chairman of the Cruise Division of MSC Group, said.

“Our new flagship is a further testament to our leadership in sustainability, with each new ship featuring the latest and most advanced environmental technology and solutions. Additionally, over and above our industry-leading health and safety protocol, the MSC Seashore is the first cruise ship in the world to feature a new and ground-breaking air sanitation system. ‘Safe Air’ uses UV-C lamp technology, eliminating 99 per cent of viruses and bacteria to guarantee clean and safe air for all guests and crew on board,” he added.

According to Vago, the Seashore demonstrates MSC’s commitment to “continuous innovation in terms of the guest experience.”

“She is, without doubt, our most stunning and sophisticated vessel to date and takes to a whole new level the already successful Seaside platform, with public spaces completely reimagined, a new secondary lounge and a broader offering both in terms of restaurants and retail options amongst many other new and much improved features. This will create a unique onboard experience for our guests this summer in the Mediterranean and during the Winter season when she will move to Miami to represent our full brand values with North American consumers,” Vago noted.

The CEO of Fincantieri, Giuseppe Bono, said that the MSC Seashore is the fourth cruise ship that the shipyard group has delivered in Italy during this “still extremely demanding year.”

“All these milestones, and others to come, have been successfully achieved and this is never taken for granted. This is why I consider this ship not only the best symbol of recovery for the whole cruise sector but also of the capability of the group to leverage its competencies and soundness to fully preserve our workload,” Bono said.

MSC has a long-term objective to achieve net carbon neutral operations by 2050. According to the cruise line, each new ship represents “another step towards this goal, alongside other investments to help accelerate the development of next-generation environmental technology.”

The MSC Seashore in particular features hybrid exhaust gas cleaning systems, selective catalytic reduction systems, achieving a 98-per cent reduction of sulfur oxide emissions and reducing nitrogen oxide emissions by 90 per cent.

The Seashore’s wastewater treatment system has been designed in line with the International Maritime Organization’s MEPC 227(64) Resolution and achieves purification standards that are higher than most wastewater treatment facilities ashore, MSC said.