Tag Archives: MSC

MSC Virtuosa the First Ship to Dock in Hamburg in 2023

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MSC Virtuosa arriving into Southampton Photo Credit Spacejunkie2 (Flickr)
The MSC Virtuosa was the first cruise ship to dock in Hamburg in 2023.

The MSC Virtuosa arrived in Hamburg on January 1, 2023, marking the beginning of this year’s cruise season. 

From January 8 to January 29, the ship will set course for the Canary Islands for three weeks. The ship will make calls in Rotterdam, Zeebrugge, Le Havre, Lisbon, Cadiz and Casablanca followed by visits to the Atlantic islands of Madeira, Tenerife, Gran Canaria and Lanzarote. On the way back to Hamburg, the MSC Virtuosa will call in La Coruna and Southampton.

The MSC Virtuosa will make several calls in Hamburg before April 16 turning around in the German port.

 In the summer of 2023, the cruise ship will then depart from Southampton, England for Norway or southern Europe. 

The MSC Euribia will then take over the trips to Hamburg from the MSC Virtuosa. In the summer of 2023, it will depart from Kiel and head to the Norwegian fjords. Throughout the 2023/2024 season, the MSC Euribia will return to Hamburg on a weekly basis.

The Port of Hamburg is expecting around 280 calls from cruise ships in 2023. The highlights in the port are the port birthday from May 5 to 7, 2023, and the Cruise Days from September 8 to 10, 2023. 

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.

MSC’s First Cargo Plane Delivered

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The first aircraft in MSC’s new air cargo business has been delivered.

Atlas Air, a subsidiary of Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings (NASDAQ: AAWW), announced the delivery of the Boeing 777-200 freighter. It is the first of four aircraft Atlas Air will operate on behalf of MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company, the world’s largest container shipping line.

“We are looking forward to this partnership with MSC, the world’s largest shipping company, as they enter into air cargo,” said John Dietrich, President and Chief Executive Officer, of Atlas Air Worldwide. “We are pleased that all four of our newly acquired 777-200Fs are placed on a long-term basis with MSC, providing them with the dedicated capacity to support their growth and expansion.”

Atlas Air and MSC entered into a long-term aircraft, crew, maintenance and insurance agreement in September.

MSC enters the air cargo industry with the longest-range twin-engine freighter in the world, capable of flying 4,880 nautical miles.

“We are delighted to see the first of our MSC-branded aircraft take to the skies and we are looking forward to starting serving the market with our new Air Cargo solution,” said Jannie Davel, Senior Vice President of Air Cargo at MSC. “We believe that MSC Air Cargo is developing from a solid foundation thanks to the reliable ongoing support of our operating partner Atlas.”

MSC joins French rival CMA CGM and Danish conglomerate A.P. Moller-Maersk, MSC’s partner in the 2M alliance, in establishing an in-house air-freight fleet.

MSC previously lost a bid to acquire a controlling stake in ITA Airways, Italy’s flagship air carrier.