MSC Cruises officially took delivery of MSC Meraviglia. During the flag-raising ceremony, a tribute to a centuries-old maritime tradition, the company's new flagship received its official flag and best wishes. President Emmanuel Macron and other French government officials attended the ceremony.
With 171,598 GRT and a capacity for 5,714 passengers, MSC Meraviglia is the largest ship ever built by a European cruise line (MSC Cruises) and also the largest of those entering service in 2017. It is also the first of six ships to be launched between 2017 and 2020, following an unprecedented €9 billion investment plan in the sector, spanning a 10-year period. Four of these six ships will be built by STX France, thus consolidating a long-standing partnership that has already resulted in the 13 ships of the MSC Cruises fleet and enabled the company to grow by 800% between 2003 and 2013.
MSC Cruises CEO Pierfrancesco Vago commented: “The entry into service of MSC Meraviglia marks a key milestone for the history and future of our company. It represents the first realization of our long-term vision for more significant growth, the first phase of which culminated two years ago when MSC Cruises became the leading cruise company in Europe, while remaining focused on its global growth objectives.”
“Above all,” Mr. Vago continued, “we are extremely pleased with the work of everyone involved, from the employees of our partner STX France to the MSC Cruises newbuilds team, and all the suppliers and subcontractors who have helped make our vision a reality, as well as every MSC Cruises employee who has worked on this exciting project, both onshore and onboard. An enthusiastic team of over 3,000 workers per month during peak periods and more than 400 suppliers have contributed to creating, over the past three years, the largest and most technologically advanced cruise ship ever built by a European shipowner. This is something to celebrate.”
STX France CEO Laurent Castaing also commented: “The delivery of a ship is always a highly emotional moment for the shipyard: it is the culmination of three years of intense work for our employees and those of our partners, who spared no effort to deliver the work on schedule and to the exact quality standards desired by our client MSC Cruises for this first ship of the Meraviglia class. Leveraging our R&D advancements from the “Ship of the Future” program supported by ADEME, this prototype is a great success that we can all be proud of and that allows us to confidently approach the construction of the next three ships.”
During the flag ceremony, to the strains of the French national anthem, the shipyard pennant and the French flag were lowered before Laurent Castaing, CEO of STX France, formally handed over the ship to MSC Cruises owner Gianluigi Aponte. Mr. Aponte then relinquished command of the MSC Meraviglia to Captain Raffaele Pontecorvo before raising the ship's ensign and the MSC Cruises pennant.
The honor of cutting the ribbon fell to the ceremony's godmother, Ms. Zoe Africa Vago, daughter of the Executive Chairman of MSC Cruises and Ms. Alexa Aponte Vago, Chief Financial Officer of MSC Cruises. After the traditional breaking of the champagne bottle, three blasts of the ship's horn signaled the end of the ceremony.
Following the flag-raising ceremony, MSC Meraviglia will set sail for the port of Le Havre, where its christening ceremony will take place on June 3rd. It will then begin its first voyage along the Atlantic coast, calling at Vigo and Lisbon before continuing its journey to the Mediterranean, with stops in Barcelona, Marseille, and finally Genoa. On June 9th, it will embark on its first regular 7-night itinerary, departing from Barcelona to Marseille, Genoa, Naples, Messina, Valletta, and returning to Barcelona on June 16th.
