MSC Cruises Orders Another Newbuild at STX France

MSC Cruises has ordered a fifth Meraviglia class cruise ship at STX France. Due to be delivered in 2023, the vessel will be equipped with a new generation of dual-fuel engines designed to run on liquefied natural gas (LNG).

The agreement for the new Meraviglia-Plus vessel represents an additional investment of €900 million (approximately $1.06 billion).

With today’s order, MSC will be adding 13 new ships through 2026.

The announcement was made at a ceremony held at the Saint-Nazaire shipyard, where STX France and MSC Cruises celebrated three shipbuilding milestones: the steel cutting ceremony of the fourth Meraviglia class vessel where MSC Cruises announced that the ship will be named MSC Virtuosa; the coin ceremony of MSC Grandiosa; and the float-out of MSC Bellissima. For the first time in Saint-Nazaire’s history, three cruise ships belonging to a single cruise brand are under simultaneous construction at the shipyard.

Pierfrancesco Vago, MSC Cruises’ Executive Chairman, said, “With the announcement of yet another new vessel, the 13th under our 10-year investment plan, we are affirming our commitment to sustainable growth for our company. I say this while three more next-generation MSC Cruises are now simultaneously under construction.

“Our fifth Meraviglia class cruise ship will bring a new generation of cutting-edge environmental technology to the market, benefiting from a new generation of LNG-powered engines. This will help us further reduce our environmental footprint and advance in our journey of constant improvement. She will be joined at sea by up to four World Class LNG-powered ships, as part of our overall commitment to environmental stewardship through this and other next-generation technologies and solutions deployed fleet-wide.”

MSC Bellissima will be Christened at a ceremony in Southampton on March 2, 2019 while MSC Grandiosa will be christened in Hamburg in November 2019.