MSC signs order for four World Class ships

MSC Cruises has signed a deal with a shipyard in France for four World-class ships.

The letter of intent, which was agreed for four ‘next generation’ vessels, will be delivered in 2022, 2024, 2025 and 2025.

The ships, which will known as the ‘World-class’, will capable of holding 5,400 passengers across 2,700 cabins.

It will take the number of ships MSC has on order to 11. The order with STX is worth €4 billion. The total investment for all ships on order is worth €9 billion.

“Today’s announcement is further proof of our view that this industry presents significant opportunities for additional growth going forward for both our brand and product,” said Pierfrancesco Vago, MSC Cruises executive chairman.

“For this reason, our ten-plus year investment plan now encompasses up to eleven new MSC Cruises ships coming into service between 2017 and 2026.

“It is also a reflection of our constant commitment to innovation as we will partner with STX France to design yet again a completely new type of ship. The new MSC Cruise World Class prototype will feature – amongst other highly innovative elements – a futuristic design that will maximise the open space available to our guests.”

Laurent Castaing, STX France chief executive officer, said: “We have just signed an exceptional agreement with MSC Cruises that will give us a vision of our industrial capacity for the next ten years.

“We have had a good relationship with MSC Cruises for many years now, and this new agreement strengthens this further. We have already designed four different classes for MSC Cruises– Opera, Musica, Fantasia and Meraviglia – each with four ships, and now we are working together on this new generation of World Class ships.

“By 2026, a total of 20 ships will have been designed and built by STX France in Saint-Nazaire for MSC Cruises.”

The announcement was made at the Elysee Palace at a ceremony attended by Francois Hollande, the president of France.