MSC Cruises and Chantiers de l'Atlantique today further expanded their long-term partnership by making a series of strategic announcements at a ceremony held at the Palais Matignon, the official residence of the French Prime Minister. The ceremony was attended by Édouard Philippe, Prime Minister of France; Gianluigi Aponte, Founder and Executive Chairman of the MSC Group; Pierfrancesco Vago, Executive Chairman of MSC Cruises; and Laurent Castaing, CEO of Chantiers de l'Atlantique.
First, the two companies announced the signing of firm contracts for the construction of MSC Cruises' third and fourth LNG-powered World Class ships, due for delivery in 2025 and 2027. The first of these two ships is currently under construction at the Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyard in Saint-Nazaire and will enter service in 2022. At 205,000 gross tons, it will become the largest vessel operated by a European cruise line, as well as the first LNG-powered cruise ship built in France. Compared to standard marine fuel, LNG reduces sulfur and particulate emissions by 99%, NOx emissions by 85%, and CO2 emissions by 20%.
These contracts represent a capital investment by MSC Cruises exceeding €2 billion and are expected to generate an additional 14 million work hours, equivalent to more than 2,400 full-time jobs over the next three and a half years, directly supported by these orders. Today's signing also allows the shipyard to begin working with the hundreds of suppliers and subcontractors involved in the projects, setting in motion a new cycle that will greatly benefit the French economy.
MSC Cruises and Chantiers de l'Atlantique have also extended their partnership for the next decade with two additional projects. First, the companies signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for the development of a new prototype class of LNG-powered cruise ships that will operate under the MSC Cruises brand. For this project, MSC Cruises, the shipyard, and other partners will focus on developing emerging environmental technologies in line with the IMO's vision for 2030 and 2050. The four ships in this new class will represent a capital investment of over €4 billion and an additional 30 million work hours for the shipyard, suppliers, and subcontractors involved in the project.
A second memorandum of understanding deals with the partnership between MSC Cruises and Chantiers de l'Atlantique for the development of another innovative ship-class prototype concept with which they will explore the opportunities offered by wind power and other advanced technologies.
The three agreements signed today represent an investment exceeding 6.5 billion euros for the French economy.
Pierfrancesco Vago, Executive Chairman of MSC Cruises, commented: “The three agreements signed today extend our investment plan to 2030. They stem from an exceptional partnership with Chantiers de l'Atlantique, which has already delivered 15 highly innovative cruise ships over the past two decades and will see many more ships come to life in the Saint-Nazaire docks over the next ten years. They also confirm this industry’s commitment to environmental sustainability, in this case helping the French national industry to further position itself as a world leader in the development of next-generation technologies and other solutions.”
Laurent Castaing, Managing Director of Chantiers de l'Atlantique, said: “We are truly proud and happy to have built such an outstanding relationship with MSC Cruises, based on mutual trust and guided by a spirit of innovation. We are both committed to shaping the cruise of tomorrow and developing ship concepts that go far beyond current environmental standards. Our companies have already worked together for twenty years, and these new projects allow us to look forward with enthusiasm to the future.”
MSC Cruises is firmly committed to achieving a zero-impact future by investing in the accelerated development of new energy solutions and environmental technologies that enable it. On January 1, 2020, MSC Cruises became the first major cruise line to achieve carbon-neutral maritime operations. As today's most advanced environmental technology alone is insufficient to achieve this, while working to minimize and continuously reduce its environmental footprint, MSC Cruises is offsetting all CO2 emissions from its fleet—which cannot be reduced through such technology—through a combination of carbon offsetting projects.
