MSC Cruises places CHF3 billion order for two more sea giants

MSC Cruises orders two more sea giants. Keystone-SDA

MSC Crociere, the Italo-Swiss company that is part of the Geneva-based shipping giant MSC, on Monday confirmed an order to the Saint-Nazaire Atlantic Shipyards for two ships worth a total of around €3.5 billion (CHF3.3 billion).

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The company signed the commitment on Monday in Paris, during a meeting at the Ministry of Economy headquarters in Bercy, on the sidelines of the ‘Choose France’ summit, the major annual event initiated by President Emmanuel Macron to promote foreign investment in the Hexagon. Total commitments of €37 billion were announced this year.

The partnership with MSC ”contributes to the industrial reconquest of a strategic sector for our country”, French Industry Minister Marc Ferracci said in a note.

The two new giants of the sea, the fifth and sixth in the World Class series, are scheduled for delivery in 2029 and 2030 respectively. The two ships will join the MSC World Europa and MSC World America, already in service, as well as the MSC World Asia and World Atlantic, currently under construction, for delivery in 2026 and 2027 respectively.

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In a statement, MSC Cruises emphasises that the new ships are “among the most energy efficient” and are “compatible with various alternative fuels, including bio- and synthetic LNG and bio-diesel”. The vessels will also be equipped with dockside electrical connection systems to reduce emissions during stopovers.

This order is ‘part of a long-term industrial strategy for MSC Cruises and builds on a strong partnership with Cantieri dell’Atlantico, a company that has built 19 of the company’s 23 ships to date,’ the company said. With this new order, MSC Cruises’ total direct investment in France over the past 20 years has exceeded €18 billion.

Translated from Italian by DeepL/ts

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