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Fincantieri hands-over MSC Seascape

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines

Published: 16 November 2022 16 November 2022

MSC Cruises today officially took delivery of its new 170,400 gross ton MSC Seascape – the largest cruise ship to be built in Italy. The delivery took place in the presence of Gianluigi Aponte, the shipowner as well as Founder and Executive Chairman of MSC Group. Also present at the ceremony were Pierfrancesco Vago, Executive Chairman of MSC Cruises, Pierroberto Folgiero, CEO of Fincantieri, as well as other regional and local authorities, dignitaries, important travel advisor partners and media. During the ceremony, which pays tribute to centuries-old maritime traditions, Cristiano Bazzara, Fincantieri’s shipyard director, presented to MSC Cruises’ Captain Roberto Leotta, an ampoule containing the water that first touched the hull when the ship was floated out earlier this year.

MSC Cruises Chief Executive Officer Gianni Onorato said: “MSC Seascape is the second ship to come into service this year bringing our modern fleet to 21 ships. We are proud to welcome her to our fleet as she is the second Seaside EVO ship and completes the innovative Seaside class. MSC Seascape aims to connect guests with the sea, she offers a wealth of outdoor spaces allowing guests to enjoy the beautiful scenery of The Caribbean, where she will spend her inaugural season. The ship’s distinctive design with nearly 140,000 square feet of outdoor space and an expansive waterfront promenade, invites guests to enjoy their escape to The Caribbean and disconnect.”

Following a star-studded Naming Ceremony bringing MSC Cruises’ distinctive European style and glamor to the Big Apple on Wednesday, December 7, 2022, MSC Seascape will sail to Miami for an inaugural season in the Caribbean. The ship, with her iconic design, long list of fantastic features and a vast amount of outdoor space is particularly well-suited for the region’s warm and sunny weather. MSC Seascape will be the second Seaside EVO class ship to enter MSC Cruises’ fleet, and the fourth in the line’s highly innovative Seaside class, which has been redefining guests’ expectations for Caribbean cruising since MSC Seaside first launched in Miami in 2017. MSC Seascape is a testament of the Line’s dedication to offer guests an enhanced experience with every new ship that joins the fleet. With revisited entertainment offerings, the latest technology and design, as well as all the favorite features that make the Seaside class special, MSC Seascape promises a unique trip for guests.

MSC Cruises officially launches MSC World Europa in Doha

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines

Published: 15 November 2022 15 November 2022

MSC Cruises, the world’s third largest cruise brand, hosted the naming ceremony for its newest flagship – MSC World Europa – on November 13 at the brand-new Grand Cruise Terminal in Doha, Qatar.

Together with partner Qatar Airways, the celebrations were part of MSC Cruises’ overall commitment to Qatar, reinforcing its pledge to support the growth of international tourism there as well as the broader Middle East region, where MSC Cruises is brand leader.

MSC World Europa is the most innovative and environmentally advanced cruise ship in the MSC Cruises fleet. On top of ground-breaking advances in reduction of emissions and energy efficiency, the LNG-powered ship paves the way toward the uptake of carbon-neutral synthetic and other alternative fuels as soon as they are available at scale.

"At 22 decks, 215,863 gross tons, 154 feet wide, and featuring more than 430,000 square feet of public space and 2,626 cabins, MSC World Europa is an ultramodern urban metropolis at sea offering a veritable world of experiences while setting a new standard for the cruise industry," the company said in a statement.

As part of long-standing maritime tradition, Master of the Vessel Captain Marco Massa and distinguished guests from around the world took part in the official naming ceremony for the ship.

Hosted by comedian, producer and entrepreneur Hamad Al Amari, event guests were treated to performances by local artists, a cutting-edge video-mapping projection onto the ship’s hull, and a huge drone show. International singer-songwriter Matteo Bocelli, presenting his solo work for the first time ever in Doha, provided the grand finale performance. His new album is due in early 2023 via Capitol Records.

Meyer Turku delivers Carnival Celebration

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines

Published: 02 November 2022 02 November 2022

Meyer Turku delivered today the Carnival Celebration to its customer, Carnival Cruise Line. Carnival Celebration was delivered on schedule and will start its maiden voyage already later this week.

Tim Meyer, CEO of Meyer Turku, describes this ship's handover as special in many ways: First of all, the ship is dedicated to the 50 years of Carnival Cruise Line. Second, Carnival Celebration will begin service immediately after the handover, which tells us that the demand for cruises, and therefore for cruise ships, is truly recovering.” He continues: "I feel great pride in being able to see how my team at the Meyer Turku shipyard and the whole Finish maritime network have once again managed to realize such a complex project in such a short time."

Carnival Celebration is the 50th anniversary ship of Carnival Cruise Line. The theme can be seen in many ways in the ship's interior, where elements from the shipping company's previous ships have been assembled. Despite the history and nostalgia, Carnival Celebration is firmly committed to the latest technologies: for example, the ship uses the most environmentally friendly fuel of the day, LNG, i.e. liquefied natural gas.

“We have so many reasons to celebrate now that Carnival Celebration has joined as the 25th ship in our fleet. Now, more guests will experience all that our innovative Excel-class has brought to cruising,” said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line. “She represents the culmination of our 50th Birthday while also shining a light on our bright future with so much more excitement to come!”

Like its sister ship Mardi Gras, also built at the Meyer Turku shipyard, Carnival Celebration has six themed areas that offer passengers world-class experiences and tastes. These include Latitudes™, The Golden Jubilee™ and Emeril's Bistro 1397™ restaurants. One of Carnival Celebration's specialties is the roller coaster BOLT built on the ship's roof, which is already becoming a trademark of the shipping company.

Carnival Celebration will depart on her first revenue cruise from Southampton on November 6th.

Chantiers de l'Atlantique delivers MSC World Europa

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines

Published: 24 October 2022 24 October 2022

The Cruise Division of MSC Group and Chantiers de l’Atlantique celebrated the delivery today of MSC World Europa, the world’s largest LNG-powered cruise ship and one of the first to incorporate fuel cell technology. The ceremony marked the next step in a long- term and successful partnership between the two companies, which has resulted in building MSC Cruises’ most innovative and environmentally advanced ship to date. In addition to immediate ground-breaking advances in terms of emissions reduction and energy efficiency, MSC World Europa paves the way for the uptake of carbon-neutral synthetic and other alternative fuels as soon as they are available at scale.

A joint contribution to the future of cruising

MSC World Europa is the first of the trail-blazing World Class ships from MSC Cruises. She is an ultramodern urban metropolis at sea that represents the future of cruising – setting a new standard for the industry with fresh experiences that push the boundaries of what is possible on the world’s oceans.

Pierfrancesco Vago, Executive Chairman of the Cruise Division of MSC Group, said: “We are proud to welcome to our fleet MSC World Europa, our 20th ship and the first to be LNG-powered. This groundbreaking vessel represents the next phase in our journey toward net zero and sustainable cruising and a symbol of our unwavering commitment to both.

“MSC World Europa represents a major step forward for our Cruise Division, the entire MSC Group, and our industry, with a range of unprecedented innovations in terms of environmental and marine technologies, design, and guest-centric features. This is the result of more than four years of work between us, builders Chantiers de l’Atlantique, and numerous leading providers of next-generation environmental and maritime technologies and solutions as well as many thousands of hours of training for those onboard and at ports.” Vago concluded: “Now more than ever we need closer cooperation from suppliers, Governments, and others to complement our continued investments and take further steps toward the zero emissions future we all desire. The innovative technologies we create here to use on our vessels can benefit all of society not just the cruise industry or the shipping sector overall.”

Laurent Castaing, General Manager of Chantiers de l’Atlantique, said: “We have reached a new stage in the cruise industry with MSC World Europa, the largest ship ever built for a European shipowner. She is equipped with all the latest technologies to offer the passengers an unprecedented cruising experience. From a technological standpoint MSC World Europa, which is equipped with a Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) propulsion system, presents a new level of performance and efficiency of the cruise industry. This represents a major milestone in minimizing emissions as MSC World Europa is the least emitting ship of the entire cruise industry.”

The first cruise ship to feature fuel cell technology powered by LNG

MSC World Europa is the world’s first contemporary cruise ship to feature brand new solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) technology powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG). The ship will include a 150-kilowatt SOFC demonstrator that will use LNG to produce electricity and heat on board in a highly efficient way by means of an electrochemical reaction. It will be a testbed to accelerate the development of fuel cell technology for contemporary cruise ships and offers the potential to enable hybrid propulsion solutions in the future.

Linden Coppell, Vice President of Sustainability & ESG at MSC Cruises, said: “We anticipate SOFC will reduce emissions of greenhouse gases substantially compared with conventional LNG engine without producing emissions of nitrogen oxides, sulphur oxides or fine particles. It also has the advantage of not only being compatible with LNG, but also with low and zero carbon fuels such as green methanol, ammonia, and hydrogen. We could also in the future transition to synthetic LNG or other alternative non- carbon fuels.”

LNG: a transitional fuel and the cleanest currently available at scale

“We chose LNG for the very clear reason that it is the cleanest marine fuel currently available at scale, a transitional fuel as we look ahead to source and use synthetic LNG or other alternative non-carbon fuels as soon as they become available at scale,” Vago said.

Compared to standard marine fuels, LNG nearly eliminates air pollutant emissions like sulphur oxides and fine particles, greatly reduces nitrogen oxides, and achieves a CO2 reduction of up to 25%. LNG will also enable the development of low-carbon fuels and solutions such as green hydrogen, synthetic-LNG, and fuel cells.

Energy efficiency at its core

In partnership with the shipyard, MSC World Europa has been designed with an innovative hull shape to minimize resistance through the water.

MSC World Europa also incorporates a wide range of equipment to optimize energy use throughout the ship. These include smart ventilation and advanced air conditioning systems coupled with automated energy recovery loops, allowing effective distribution of heat and cold across the ship. The ship uses LED lighting throughout, controlled by smart management systems to further enhance the energy saving profile.

It will also be fitted with enhanced automatic data collection systems for remote energy monitoring and advanced analysis, allowing real-time shoreside support to optimize operational efficiency onboard.

These efficiency advances – and the use of LNG – will enable operational performance far higher than the IMO-required energy design criteria for new ships. MSC World Europa is designed to perform 47% better than the Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI) required by regulation.

Advanced water treatment and waste management systems, and other innovative features

MSC World Europa is equipped with an advanced wastewater treatment system (AWTS) that meets the world’s highest regulatory requirements, including the so-called Baltic standard. It treats all wastewater produced onboard to close to tap water standards. The ship also includes a state-of-the-art ballast water treatment system that prevents the introduction of invasive species in the marine environment through ballast water discharges, in compliance with IMO’s Ballast Water Management Convention.

“We have an entire team of crew dedicated to implement strict waste management protocols which separate all wastes into seven distinct types, for example, glass, aluminum and paper, with specialized equipment to crush or bundle these waste types in the ship’s waste management facility,” Coppell said.

In addition, MSC World Europa features a selective catalytic reduction (SCR) system that reduces NOx emissions by 90% when LNG is not available and the ship must run on marine gas oil. As LNG fuel achieves a similar reduction, MSC World Europa will always be ready to meet the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO’s) Tier III NOx emissions standards. Like all MSC Cruises’ new builds, the ship is fitted with shore power capability, which minimizes engine use at ports where the required infrastructure is available.

MSC World Europa’s hull and engine room have been designed to minimize underwater sound output, reducing the potential impact on marine mammals in the surrounding waters.

Next-generation cruise experience

Boasting future-proof marine and onboard hospitality technologies, MSC World Europa will redefine the cruise experience with a variety of never-before-seen concepts and creative areas unlike anything at sea today. The ground-breaking design features a Y-shaped aft structure that leads to the nearly 350-foot- long Europa Promenade, which is half open and half covered and offers breathtaking ocean views. Brand new balcony cabins overlook the stunning promenade, which features a striking architectural centerpiece in the form of The Venom Drop @ The Spiral, an 11-deck-high slide which is the longest at sea.

MSC World Europa’s “firsts” include a micro-brewery, gin bar, healthy juice bar, coffee emporium and tea-house. The ship has 13 dining venues, including two new specialty restaurant experiences – the seafood- focused La Pescaderia and seasonal farm-to-ocean cooking of Chef’s Garden Kitchen.

Steel cutting ceremony of MSC World America

The name of the second World Class ship – MSC World America – was revealed today during the vessel’s steel cutting ceremony, at which MSC Cruises announced she is destined for North America upon entering service in 2025. This is further proof of the line’s commitment to deploy its newest vessels to the North American cruise market and to provide U.S guests with a ship and experience that is tailored to them. MSC World America will become the fourth new flagship to be deployed in the region.