MSC Cruises’ 171,598gt MSC Meraviglia has been christened at Le Havre, France. As well as being the largest ship belonging to a European shipowner, it has an advanced, “very ambitious” propulsion plant and is the first of MSC Cruises’ fleet to debut digital innovation programme ‘MSC For Me’.

STX France vice president of projects Stéphane Cordier told PST: “From a building efficiency standpoint, the construction of this prototype was extremely smooth; the overall design and architecture of ship developed very efficiently and according to schedule.”

One of the main standout features is MSC For Me, which will be rolled out across the fleet and debuts on MSC Meraviglia.

MSC Meraviglia will be powered by an all-electrical plant consisting of four 12-cylinder diesel engines. Mr Cordier said this arrangement was “very ambitious”. Usually ships of this size have five or six engines.

Singling out the benefits of MSC Meraviglia’s engine arrangement, he said: “The limited number of machines allows them to run at higher power, contributes to the general efficiency and is a more compact arrangement.”

“We have an ambitious vision for the future and MSC Meraviglia marks the start of the second phase of growth for our company,” said Pierfrancesco Vago, MSC Cruises’ executive chairman in a statement. “For this reason, this evening is an extremely proud moment for all of us at MSC Cruises as we see the first of our next-generation ships being named.”

“The new ships that we are building — between 2017 and 2020 alone, we will receive six new ships — are purpose-built, featuring innovation in both product and design, as well as the very latest-cutting edge marine and consumer-facing technology to create unforgettable holiday experiences at sea for guests of all ages. MSC Meraviglia is the first to make this vision come to life, as it sets a new standard for cruise ships as a destination in itself.”