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MSC Cruises signs contract for two ‘revolutionary’ ships

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By Juliet Dennis MSC Cruises signs contract for two 'revolutionary' ships

MSC Cruises is to build two “revolutionary” cruise ships for 2017 and 2018, and has an option for a further ship.

The cruise line today signed a contract worth up to €2.1 billion with Italian shipyard Fincantieri for the new prototype project, codenamed ‘Seaside’.

They will be the largest cruise ships ever built by the shipyard and feature a “revolutionary architectural style” which MSC believes will lead the way for the next generation of cruise ships.

Features include a sea-level promenade that circumnavigates the ship with outdoor spaces, shops and restaurants, a spacious theatre, terraced balcony and panoramic lifts with sea views.

The two new ships will cost €700 million each, with the first scheduled for delivery in November 2017 and the second in May 2018, with an option for one more ship.

The deal follows MSC Cruises’ letter of intent with STX France, signed in March this year. It will allow the cruise line to double the capacity of its fleet to around 80,000 passengers a day by 2022. The line currently has 12 ships.

The ships will be 323 metres long, 41 metres wide and 70 metres in height, with a gross tonnage of 154,000 tons and accommodating 5,300 passengers plus 1,413 crew. The ships will also reduce fuel consumption by 25%.

They will boast 2,070 passenger cabins and 43,500 square metres of public space. According to the cruise line, it will be able to dock at any port worldwide thanks to its design and versatility. Construction will be funded with the support of insurance and financial company SACE.

MSC Cruises executive chairman Pierfranscesco Vago said: “From the moment we started talking with Fincantieri, we had in mind to design and build two completely new ships, revolutionary in their structure, unlike anything that exists on the market today.

“Seaside is a futuristic prototype because of its structure, shape and versatility. We are getting ready for the new and compelling challenge that the construction of these ships represents. It will be a real revolution in the world’s cruise market, an excellent product for its unique and innovative architectural features and cutting-edge technology.”

MSC to place two-ship order

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By Tom Stieghorst
MSC Cruises ship renderingSTX France has signed a letter of intent to build two 167,000-gross ton ships for MSC Cruises that would be delivered in 2017 and 2019, plus options for two more.

The long-rumored order would expand MSC’s fleet from 12 to 16 if all four ships are built.

MSC Cruises USA’s president, Rick Sasso, said at the Cruise Shipping Miami conference earlier this month that MSC was ready to increase its North American presence from a single year-round ship if an order was made.

A statement from the two companies said the contract will be binding “when the financial package is secured.”

The companies did not give a value for the order, but said the two ships would provide 16 million working hours for STX France and its subcontractors. STX France genial manager Laurent Castaing said a competitiveness agreement signed with trade unions was “decisive” in reaching the letter of intent to build the ships.

Each new ship will have 2,250 passenger cabins for a double-occupancy capacity of 4,500, but MSC put the ship’s capacity at 5,700 passengers. The ships “will be able to call in most of the ports and destinations on earth, without compromise,” MSC said,

MSC President Gianni Oronato said the ships will boast “new panoramic spaces, a bigger theater and a spectacular amusement park connected to an outdoor aqua park as well as a two-deck inside promenade.”

The MSC ships will have specially designed cabins for families and an extended Yacht Club luxury area on each vessel.

Castaing said negotiations for the ships were particularly challenging “in light of today’s global competitive landscape in the shipbuilding industry.”

The main creditor for the troubled Korean company that owns STX Europe said recently it would like to divest the European asset by June.

MSC Close to Megaship Deal with STX

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Will MSC start another newbuilding project with STX France? MSC Cruises is close to a newbuilding contract with STX France for two megaships with an option for two additional vessels, according to French media.

French reports quote a total budget of 2.4 billion euro for ships well over 4,000 passengers each.

Quoted is MSC France CEO Erminio Eschena, who said he was looking at the situation with “some confidence” and was optimistic.

He continued that MSC was still in talks with yards, looking for a fair price, and a decision is expected before April to target a delivery date to get the first ship in service before the end of 2016.