Tag Archives: Seaside EVO ships

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 Cruises takes delivery of new flagship MSC Seaside

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MSC Cruises has taken delivery of its new flagship MSC Seaside at the Fincantieri shipyard.

It is the second new MSC ship to come into service in 2017 and will homeport in Miami for Caribbean itineraries. It is the first in MSC’s Seaside Class.

MSC Seaside weighs 169,380 tonnes and can take 5,179 passengers.

At the ceremony, in Italy, MSC Cruises and Fincantieri also signed firm orders for the €1.8 billion construction of two Seaside EVO ships.

MSC Cruises executive chairman Pierfrancesco Vago said: “MSC Seaside coming into service marks another key milestone in the history and future of our company, but she also embodies a pivotal moment for the industry. In fact, she is the first ship of the fifth new prototype that we bring into service and introduces a wholly-innovative product that sets a new standard for the industry to follow.

“The Seaside Class of ships is designed to bring guests closer to the sea and to operate in sunny waters while continuing to push the boundaries of maritime and guest-centric technology.”

Italian president Sergio Mattarella and Graziano Delrio, Italy’s minister of infrastructures and transports were among the dignitaries at the ceremony.

MSC Seaside’s sister ship MSC Seaview will come into service in June 2018, starting her summer season in the Mediterranean. At the delivery ceremony, Vago also announced that MSC Seaview will be christened in Civitavecchia, Italy, on June 2, 2018.

He added: “As we are nearing the end of 2017, we can look back on a year when we enjoyed unprecedented capacity growth. With two of the more innovative new ships in the industry have come into service in the past six months and now with the addition of two Seaside EVO ships to our investment plan, we are now even better positioned to further extend our global footprint. We are expecting the delivery of at least one new ship each year through 2026, with six to have come into service between 2017 and 2020.”

Giuseppe Bono, chief executive of Fincantieri, added: “We are proud to have accomplished such an important project: a ship, for a new customer, the largest one ever built in Italy. This demonstrates not only our ability to satisfy the needs of the shipowners but also the extraordinary operational level which Fincantieri has achieved.

“We believe we have built a highly innovative ship with MSC. She marks a further technological quality leap. Such a milestone has allowed us to gain the customer’s loyalty with another order for two new ships, which will [again] represent a real evolution.”

In total, 12 new MSC ships are to be built by 2026, for an overall investment of €10.5 billion.