MSC CRUISES TO START BALTIC SEA SAILINGS IN JULY FROM GERMANY

MSC Cruises today announced it will restart its sailing operations in Germany on July 3 with is first ever deployment of an innovative Seaside class ship to operate in the Baltic Sea, MSC Seaview, and with a brand new itinerary for the region.

The ship will homeport in Kiel until September and offer 7-night voyages – all to include protected shore excursions - to Visby on Sweden’s largest island of Gotland, the port of Nynashamn for Swedish capital city Stockholm, and Estonia’s capital Tallinn, before returning to the northern Germany port.

MSC Seaview will be available for guests of all ages from the Schengen area in Europe, plus residents of Croatia, Romania and Bulgaria.

Gianni Onorato, CEO, MSC Cruises, said: “We are looking forward to the resumption of our cruises from Germany, an incredibly important market for us, and provide our guests with an enjoyable, relaxing and safe cruise holiday on MSC Seaview, one of our most innovative ships.

“Visiting destinations and going ashore is an integral aspect of a cruise holiday and it is now possible with our Baltic Sea cruises from Germany thanks to the general relaxation of health measures locally, as well as much of Europe, and the confirmed opening of the ports and destinations MSC Seaview will call.

“We’re delighted that this brand-new itinerary will provide our guests with some outstanding destinations to visit ashore where they can safely discover the beauty of the Baltics with the same high health and safety standards as those on board MSC Seaview, as well as all of our ships.”

Visby, the capital of the Baltic Sea island of Gotland, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site with impressive medieval buildings. Stockholm – known as the ‘Venice of the North’ – is famous for its outstanding architecture and abundance of open water, and Tallinn is renowned for its monumental walls, towers and well-preserved ancient buildings.

The ship will comply with MSC Cruises’ industry-leading health and safety protocol that was developed last year with input from international health experts, including MSC Cruises’ ‘COVID-19 Blue-Ribbon Expert Group’, and in close cooperation with health, safety and transport authorities throughout Europe.

Measures include universal testing at embarkation and mid-cruise, weekly testing of crew, social distancing, the wearing of masks in public areas and protected shore excursions. Details of the current health and safety protocol are here.

MSC Cruises will closely monitor the situation ashore at all the destinations MSC Seaview will call and the itinerary may see the possible addition of new ports.

MSC Seaview’s Baltic Sea cruises are another step forward in MSC Cruises’ wider plans for a return to sea for its fleet of ships. MSC Grandiosa and MSC Seaside are currently sailing in the West Mediterranean and will be joined in August by MSC Seashore for her maiden season. The Company’s most recent addition MSC Virtuosa is set to start her own maiden season later this week with voyages around the UK.

Three more ships will soon begin cruises in the East Mediterranean – MSC Orchestra, MSC Splendida and MSC Magnifica. With only a few ports in the Baltic and North Seas open for cruising this summer, MSC Cruises has been forced to cancel its proposed summer season sailings from the German ports of Warnemünde and Hamburg for MSC Preziosa and MSC Musica, respectively.

MSC Cruises is the world’s third largest cruise brand as well as the leader in Europe, South America, the Gulf region and Southern Africa with more market share in addition to deployed capacity than any other player. It is also the fastest growing global cruise brand with a strong presence in the Caribbean, North America and the Far East markets.

Headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, MSC Cruises one of the two brands that sit within the Cruises Division of MSC Group, the leading privately held Swiss-based shipping and logistics conglomerate with over 300 years of maritime heritage. MSC Cruises — the contemporary brand — has a modern fleet of 18 vessels combined with a sizeable future global investment portfolio of new vessels. The fleet is projected to grow to 23 cruise ships by 2025 with options for six vessel orders in place through 2030.

MSC Cruises offers its guests an enriching, immersive and safe cruise experience inspired by the Company’s European heritage, where they can enjoy international dining, world-class entertainment, award-winning family programs and the very latest user-friendly technology on board. To learn more about MSC Cruises’ itineraries and experience on board its ships please see here.

The Company’s number one priority has always been the health and safety of its guests and crew, as well as the communities at the destinations its ships serve. In August 2020, MSC Cruises implemented a new comprehensive and robust health and safety protocol to become the first major line to return to sea. To learn more about MSC Cruises’ health & safety protocol please see here.

MSC Cruises has long been committed to environmental stewardship with a long-term goal to achieve zero emissions for its operations. The Company is also a significant investor in next-generation environmental marine technologies, with the objective to support their accelerated development and availability industry wide. To learn more about the Company’s environmental commitment please see here.

Finally, to learn more about the MSC Foundation, MSC Group’s own vehicle to lead, focus and advance its conservation, humanitarian and cultural commitments please see here.