With an 11.6 billion euro investment plan, MSC Cruises will account for 25% of the entire industry projected growth from 2017 to 2026. To celebrate this forthcoming achievement, MSC Cruises Australia & New Zealand invited media and trade guests to its Sydney offices at Barangaroo to toast the new ships and learn more about the growing fleet. Lynne Clarke, Managing Director of MSC Cruises Australia & New Zealand, presented the path the cruise line will take to achieve its milestone of tripling capacity by 2026.
Affirming MSC Cruises’ commitment to growth, a 10-year investment plan will see the cruise line achieve 5,043,616 guest capacity by 2026. MSC Cruises, the world’s largest privately owned cruise line, will continue to focus on technology development, product enhancement and itinerary enrichment to provide an unprecedented guest experience.
Currently under construction, simultaneously at Chantiers de l’Atlantique (formerly STX France) are MSC Bellissima, MSC Grandiosa and MSC Virtuosa. MSC Bellissima and MSC Grandiosa are to be launched in March and November 2019 respectively, with MSC Virtuosa launching in 2020. An additional seven ships will be launched from 2021 to 2026.
MSC Bellissima will be capable of docking at virtually any cruise port around the world due to her innovative design and dimensions. However, she will spend her inaugural season in the Mediterranean, before heading to the Arabian Peninsula from November 2019. MSC Bellissima is a strategic asset in reinforcing MSC Cruises position in these key regions and a 40% year-on-year increase in capacity in the Arabian Peninsula is a testament to their commitment to this exotic and captivating destination.
Launching in November 2019, MSC Grandiosa will be the first of the Meraviglia-Plus class of ship. With capacity for 6,300 passengers, she will welcome guests to the Mediterranean on one of the most innovative classes of ship. The home of MSC, the Mediterranean, will increase capacity by 30% year-on-year during the summer season. MSC Grandiosa will showcase an even larger Mediterranean-style promenade, the groundbreaking feature unique to the Meraviglia and Meraviglia-plus prototypes. Throughout the day and the evening, this award-winning promenade hosts surprise performances, including flash mobs and themed parties, as well as the awe-inspiring projections on the even longer 98.5-metre LED Sky screen.
The offspring of a family who has been exploring the seas for over 300 years, MSC Cruises is committed to preserving this natural resource and protecting the people who sail them.
By October 2018, 50% of the fleet will have exhaust gas-cleaning systems in operation, with over 70% in operation by 2020. The four next-generation ships will be powered by cleaner LNG fuel and future technologies will include enhanced wastewater treatment and improved energy efficiency.
Potable water is a precious resource at sea and the latest ships are equipped with water production and distillation units to produce fresh water from the sea. Using a process of reverse osmosis 1,000 litres of drinking water can be produced per day.