On June 14th, MSC Cruises and STX France held an exclusive ceremony at the Saint-Nazaire shipyard, attended by Bruno Le Maire, the French Minister of Economy and Finance. This ceremony celebrated three important milestones in the construction of a ship:
- Steel cutting ceremony for the 4th ship of the Meraviglia class, announcing the name of the ship, which will be MSC Virtuosa.
- MSC Grandiosa Coin Ceremony
- MSC Bellissima buoyancy test.
MSC and STX have signed an order for the construction of a fifth Meraviglia-class cruise ship, scheduled for delivery in 2023 and equipped with a new generation of liquefied natural gas (LNG) engines. The new ship will have the same dimensions as MSC Cruises' two existing Meraviglia-Plus ships, but with a slightly higher deadweight and displacement due to the heavier LNG-powered dual-fuel engines.
MSC Cruises' current fleet consists of 15 state-of-the-art ships, and according to an ambitious investment plan, the fleet is expected to expand to 25 cruise ships by 2026.
