MSC Seaside Class Marvels Show in Miami

It was St. Patrick’s Day on March 17th, but it was the Italians who stoled the cruise show in Miami. Gianni Onorato, MSC Cruises’ CEO, told a standing room only crowd that its next generation Seaside class of ships will debut in November 2017 in PortMiami, where MSC will  operate out of newly renovated and dedicated berth and terminal.

The Seaside class of ships is part of MSC Cruises’ $5.3 billion fleet expansion plan that will allow the company to double its capacity by 2022. The Seaside ships will be 154,000 gross tons and can accommodate up to 4,140 guests at double occupancy. The MSC Seaside will be the largest cruise ship ever built by Fincantieri shipyards. The ship will offer a vast range of popular itineraries from Miami to the Caribbean.

“MSC Cruises has the unique opportunity to provide North American guests with a ‘Mediterranean Style Cruise’ experience that no other line is able to offer, and guests from around the world a unique setting as it sails to the most sought-after destinations in the Caribbean” Onorato said. “Since bringing MSC Divina to Miami in November 2013, we’ve seen significant demand from consumers in the product, excellent support from our travel agent partners and the growing need for additional MSC Cruises’ ships in the market.”

MSC Cruises operates a fleet of 12 modern ships cruising year-round in the Mediterranean and seasonally in the French Antilles, northern Europe, the Atlantic Ocean, South Africa, South America, as well as in Dubai, the Emirates and Oman. The company currently sails seasonally in the Caribbean but will sail year-round in the region as of 2017.

The company, which grew by 800 percent since 2004, carried 1.67 million guests in 2014 and reported strong financial results with a turnover of $1.5 billion. In addition, MSC Cruises is forecasting an additional 10 percent growth for 2015.

In 2014, as part of its $5.3 billion expansion plan, MSC Cruises ordered two ultramodern, state-of-the-art ships from Italy’s Fincantieri, world leader in cruise ship construction and one of the world’s largest shipbuilding groups, and has an option for one more ship. MSC Seaside has a planned delivery for November 2017 and the second ship in the class will be delivered May 2018.

Note: Executive Chairman of MSC Cruises Pierfrancesco Vago and Juan Kuryla, PortMiami port director signed the long term contact at the end of the press event.

January- February 2015 MarEx Interview with Pierfrancesco Vago: http://www.maritime-executive.com/magazine/pierfrancesco-vago-executive-chairman-msc-cruises

January- February 2015 MSC Case Study: http://www.maritime-executive.com/magazine/msc-cruises

For more information on MSC Seaside, visit http://bit.ly/MSC-Seaside.