Tag Archives: MSC Virtuosa

MSC Introduces New Shipboard Property Management System, Otalio

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MSC Cruises has announced the introduction of a new shipboard property management system, which creates a link between its shoreside operations and the entire fleet of ships.

According to a press release, the new system will help improve internal efficiencies, tailor guest services and digitalize information for the crew.

The new customer-centric and digitalized system brings benefits through increased flexibility and automation with a cloud platform that enables a global configuration across the MSC Cruises fleet and throughout a range of different departments.


The cloud-based software developed by Hamburg-based Otalio was first used onboard MSC Virtuosa, the first deep-sea cruise ship in 15 months to sail in British waters for her maiden season in the UK that started in May.

The modern architecture of the property management system provides scalability and flexibility so that many administrative tasks can be performed by shoreside teams to bring new opportunities for fleet management.

Crew onboard can centralize all guest information in one place, such as purchase preferences, complaint tracking and Voyagers Club member status, MSC said. The crew will also benefit from real-time updates from ashore, as well as options to digitalize processes such as housekeeping rotas and menu pricing.

“This promises to be a win-win scenario whereby the Otalio technology will improve the overall guest experience and make life easier for our crew onboard. Getting Otalio ready to launch across our fleet was a huge undertaking and involved a team of 500 dedicated individuals both onboard and ashore, the biggest ever collaboration at MSC Cruises. The end result was worth the endeavour and is truly change-management at its very best,” said Chief Information Officer of MSC Cruises Daniele Buonaiuto.

The Managing Director of Otalio, Tony Heuer, said that having its latest product now in operation is a “dream come true.”

“(W)e couldn’t be more excited to see it going live. It’s a great achievement for the entire Otalio team to develop an onboard solution that covers all aspects related to guests and crew management, suitable to support larger contemporary cruise ships, as well as smaller luxury vessels. Thanks to the cutting-edge architecture of our system, structured around the unique complexity a cruise ship environment has, many administrative tasks can now be performed by shoreside teams, bringing new opportunities into fleet management altogether,” he said.

“We want to thank the MSC Cruises team for their trust and cooperation during these last two and half years of intense effort. All of this could have not been possible without the commitment and support of their entire organization, both ashore and onboard,” he added.

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.

MSC Bellissima Sails into Saudi Arabia

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This MSC Bellissima at the weekend sailed into Jeddah, Saudi Arabia to prepare for her maiden summer season of 21 voyages in the Red Sea.

The ship becomes the largest cruise ship to have ever operated in the Red Sea, and will offer three- and four-night sailings between the end of July and late October from her summer base in Jeddah to Safaga, Egypt and Aqaba, Jordan.

The summer sailings will add to MSC Cruises’ previously announced winter 2021/2022 Red Sea voyages from Jeddah that start in November.

The MSC Bellissima will be the eighth MSC Cruises’ ship to resume sailings with passengers on board with a further three vessels preparing to start future voyages, which will see half of the company’s fleet back at sea by the end of summer.

Five MSC Cruises’ ships are currently sailing in the Mediterranean – MSC Grandiosa MSC Seaside, MSC Orchestra, MSC Splendida and MSC Magnifica, MSC Virtuosa is operating around the UK and MSC Seaview is cruising in the Baltic Sea.

The MSC Meraviglia from 2 August will resume Caribbean cruises from Miami and will be joined in the region from 18 September when MSC Divina restarts sailing from Port Canaveral near Orlando in Florida.

The MSC Seashore will come into service in August with voyages in the West Mediterranean before the company’s newest flagship transfers in November to Miami for a season in the Caribbean.