MSC Cruises and Fincantieri celebrate float out of MSC Seaside
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MSC Cruises and FINCANTIERI, one of the largest shipbuilding groups in the world, today celebrated the float out of MSC Seaside, one of two new groundbreaking mega-ships that MSC Cruises is bringing into service between June and December 2017.
The ceremony took place this weekend at the Monfalcone shipyard, where the ship is being built. MSC Seaside will homeport in Port Miami as of December 2017 and will sail year round in the Caribbean, further enriching MSC Cruises’ offering in the region – which, with the addition of MSC Seaside, will offer a total of five of the most modern cruise ships serving the Caribbean.
Pierfrancesco Vago, MSC Cruises executive chairman, commented: “This is another exciting milestone in our ambitious expansion plans as we see the second of our 11 next-generation ships entering the final stages of her construction.
“MSC Seaside has been specifically designed to provide our guests with a unique onboard experience in warmer regions and boasts one the highest ratio of outdoor space in the industry.”
Antonio Paradiso, MSC Cruises Managing Director UK and Ireland continued: “The Caribbean continues to be an ever popular destination for UK and Irish holidaymakers.
“With the addition of MSC Seaside, we are further strengthening our ability to serve the demand in this key region with five ships for winter 2017/18, each bringing our own, distinctive Mediterranean flair and elegance to the Caribbean holiday experience. Our increased capacity there will allow us to significantly grow our market share in UK and Ireland.”
Giuseppe Bono, CEO of Fincantieri, stated: “Seeing this ship taking shape has a value which is not only symbolic for the group that I lead, and for me personally. We acquired the order for the construction of it, along with a sister ship, in 2014, at the turn of an unprecedented crisis and an equally extraordinary explosion of the market.
“We placed such great ambitions for this order, undertaking to give the owner a state-of-the-art product, able to meet its vision of modern cruising. Being successful with a prototype and such a recognizable design, which confirms our commercial and technology leadership in this sector, makes us doubly proud of the result.”
MSC Seaside is the first of a completely new and innovative generation of cruise ships being built by MSC Cruises and leading Italian shipyard FINCANTIERI. With this new prototype inspired by an elegant beach condo, MSC Cruises has pushed the boundaries with its bold design concept and demonstrates the Company’s continued commitment to put the guest experience at the centre of all innovation and product development.
Every element of the ship is designed to bring the guests closer to the sea with special design features such as a unique 360° ocean level promenade, panoramic glass lifts, a breathtaking 30-metre bridge on the top deck and, with 76% of the cabins positioned on the outside of the ship, guests will never be far from a view of the ocean.
The float out is an important milestone in the construction of a cruise ship as it is the moment where the ship first floats on water when the dry dock is flooded and the ship is moved to a wet dock for the final phase of her construction. The exterior of the ship is complete and work moves to complete interiors, fixtures and fittings.
At 323 metres long with a GRT of 160,000 tonnes, the ship will feature a maximum capacity of 5,179 guests. MSC Seaside is the first of two identical ships in the Seaside generation. Her sister ship – MSC Seaview – is set to enter service in the Spring 2018 and will be based in the Western Mediterranean, while a third one – reflecting an existing option for one additional Seaside generation ship – would be delivered by 2021.
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