MSC CRUISES ENTERS ULTRA-LUXURY SEGMENT BY PLACING ORDER FOR FOUR MORE SHIPS FROM FINCANTIERI

The first of this highly-innovative new generation of ships will come into service in Spring 2023

Geneva, Switzerland and Trieste, Italy, 18 October 2018 – MSC Cruises and Fincantieri today announced the signing of a memorandum of agreement (MOA) for the construction of four ultra-luxury cruise ships for a total value in excess of EUR 2 billion. 

The ships, the first of which will be delivered in Spring 2023, will have gross tonnage of approximately 64,000 GT and will feature 500 cabins. The remaining three ships will come into service one per year over the following three years.

The ships will feature, amongst other, the best and latest environmental technology and other cutting-edge maritime solutions at sea. They will also showcase highly-innovative design as well as introduce ground-breaking options for guest comfort and relaxation.

Pierfrancesco Vago, MSC Cruises’ Executive Chairman, said: “It is off the back of the great success of our ship-within-a-ship luxury concept that our guests asked us to enter into the ultra-luxury segment, as a natural evolution of the MSC Yacht Club. These ships will be able to offer unique itineraries, thanks to their size, and the guest services will be taken to another level, including our personalised MSC Yacht Club butler service, available 24/7.”

Mr Vago continued, “I am especially pleased to be able to further extend our partnership with Fincantieri through this new order. The award-winning Seaside and Seaside-Evo class have already been recognised as ground-breaking and innovative designs. We are now introducing another new class, which will establish a new standard of ultra-luxury at sea with ships that will showcase the quality and highest standards that are associated with Made in Italy.”

Giuseppe Bono, CEO of Fincantieri, stated: “It is with pride that two great brands – an Italian one and one with a strong Italian DNA -, well-known all over the world, today announce an important construction program. We are extremely satisfied that, to launch a new class of ships in the luxury segment, MSC Cruises has recognized that our design will help them create a new generation of ships that will be cutting edge both in terms of safety and technological content, and with particular attention paid to passenger comfort. With this project Fincantieri can count on 53 cruise ships in its order book, confirming its position as absolute market leader”.    

Notes to editors:
MSC Cruises is the world’s largest privately-owned cruise company and leading cruise brand in Europe, South America, South Africa and the Gulf. This order will bring to eight the number of MSC Cruises ships to be built with Fincantieri in Italy. Fincantieri is one of the world’s largest shipbuilding groups and number one for diversification and innovation.

With the addition of these new ships, MSC Cruises’ already industry-unprecedented investment plan will now account for a total 17 new ships to be built by 2027, for an overall investment of EUR 13.6 billion. Of these, three have already come into service since June 2017: MSC Meraviglia, MSC Seaside and MSC Seaview. Two more – MSC Bellissima and MSC Grandiosa – will be delivered in February and October 2019, respectively. All five ships will feature MSC Cruises’ existing ship-within-a-ship luxury concept, the award-winning next-generation MSC Yacht Club.