Tag Archives: MSC Seaside

MSC Seaview floated out from Italian shipyard

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MSC Cruises latest new generation ship MSC Seaview was floated out at the Fincanteri shipyard in Trieste, Italy today.

The 5,179-passenger vessel is the second ship in the Seaview class of ships and is part of a €9 billion, ten year investment plan.

Sister ship MSC Seaside is due to enter service in November following MSC Meraviglia in June.

MSC Seaview is set to join the fleet in June 2018 with an inaugural season in the Mediterranean before transferring to Brazil for winter 2018-19.

Chief executive, Gianni Onorato, said: “We are truly leading the way with our ship designs, as each new class of ships that we bring into service is rooted in meeting the needs of holidaymakers of different ages, demographics and holiday desires.

“With MSC Seaview, in particular, our vision has been inspired by our passion for the sea and we are appealing to guests who are seeking the classic elements of a holiday – sun and sea – taken to the next level with a one-of-a-kind fully immersive and interactive seaside experience even whilst cruising at sea.”

Executive chairman Pierfrancesco Vago said: “The float out of MSC Seaview is another significant milestone in the expansion of our fleet.

“She is part of a ten year investment plan that will have already seen the delivery of six new ships by 2020.

“We are already the market leading cruise brand in the Mediterranean and Europe and the deployment of MSC Seaview in this key region will help us further push boundaries by bringing one of the most innovative cruise ships to an area that we are deeply committed to and is a cornerstone of our business.”

ITT 2017: MSC Cruises chief raises fears over Brexit and shipping regulation

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ITT 2017: MSC Cruises chief raises fears over Brexit and shipping regulation

MSC Cruises boss Pierfrancesco Vago says the operator is working closely with the UK government on Brexit amid fears over implications for global maritime regulation.

Speaking in the line’s spiritual home of Sorrento in Italy at this week’s annual ITT conference, the operator’s executive chairman said the entire sector is regulated according to British maritime law.

Vago questioned whether there would be time for bilateral deals to be done with every other country in the world and said Brexit could make the current British-based regulatory system invalid.

MSC and other cruise lines are working through the UK Chamber of Shipping with the UK government on what Brexit means for shipping.

“We are all very much engaged, we are very much part of the process,” he said.

“It’s very complex. Sometimes there are questions that can’t be answered so it’s very important we are part of the process.

“The common denominator for shipping in general is the British law, that’s what regulates shipping. Britain from the legal side may have to enter bilateral agreements with everyone else, that makes the shipping law system invalid.

“If we have all the lawyers in the world working to make bilateral agreements to make British law available to the world, two years will not be enough.”

Vago said Brexit could also be a challenge to travel in general due to visa restrictions and border control. “The freedom of movement is everything,” he said. “It’s how everything should work.”

Vago said he was very proud that the growth seen in the cruise sector in recent years has created so many jobs for people from around the world. Globally the sectors sustains nearly one million employees including 360,000 in Europe and 73,000 in the UK. MSC has switched its technical base to the UK to take advantage of British expertise where today it directly employs 250 people.

“This is an industry that creates jobs. That makes me very proud. That’s what Europe needs, that’s what the world needs,” Vago said.

He added the ultimate aim for the next generation of cruise ships was to for them to have zero impact on the environment. The lines recently announced next class of ship, which will be the world’s largest, will be powered by LNG.

MSC Cruises Officially Receives MSC Meraviglia

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MSC Meraviglia

 MSC Cruises officially took delivery of MSC Meraviglia.

During the ship’s flag ceremony, the ship received her official flag and blessings for good fortune. The ceremony was attended by Emmanuel Macron, President of the French Republic and other high-level dignitaries from the French government.

MSC Cruises said it estimates that its total investment at STX France from 2003 to 2020 will amount to over 7 billion euros, effectively making the company the country’s number one foreign private investor.

Following her christening ceremony, which will take place in Le Havre on June 3, MSC Meraviglia will start her inaugural season sailing the Western Mediterranean.

“MSC Meraviglia’s coming into service marks a key milestone in the history and future of our Company,” said Pierfrancesco Vago, Executive Chairman of MSC Cruises. “She represents the first realization of our long-term vision for further significant growth, which, in its first phase, culminated with MSC Cruises becoming two years ago the number one cruise brand across all of Europe, while on its way to further global growth.”

“Above all, we must celebrate the work of everyone: from all the workers of our partner STX France to MSC Cruises’ New Builds Team, each and every supplier and sub-supplier who has contributed to turning our vision into reality as well as everyone at MSC who has worked ashore and on board on this amazing project. A galvanized team of up to 3,000 workers a month and over 400 suppliers, built over the past three years the largest and most technologically advanced cruise ship ever constructed by a European ship owner. This is worth celebrating!” added Vago.

Marcon at STX France

“Delivering a ship is always a time of great emotion for the shipyard: it is the culmination of three years of intense work for our employees and those of our partners, who have spared no effort to deliver on the exact date and in the quality conditions desired by our client MSC Cruises, this first ship of the Meraviglia class,” said Laurent Castaing, CEO of STX France. “Benefiting from our advances in R&D from the “Ship of the Future” program supported by ADEME, this prototype is a great achievement that we can all be proud of and which allows us to look confidently at the next three ships.”

During today’s flag ceremony, the shipyard’s pennant and the French flag were lowered, accompanied by the French national anthem, before Laurent Castaing, CEO of STX France, formally handed the ship over to MSC Cruises’ owner Gianluigi Aponte.

Aponte then gave command of MSC Meraviglia to Master Raffaele Pontecorvo before the ship’s flag and MSC Cruises’ pennant were raised.

The honor of cutting the ribbon fell to the ceremony’s godmother, Zoe Africa Vago, daughter of MSC Cruises’ Executive Chairman and Alexa Aponte-Vago, MSC Group’s CFO. After the traditional breaking of the bottle of champagne, three blasts from the ship’s siren signaled the end of the ceremony.