The 6774-passenger ship MSC World Europa (the first of MSC Cruises’ WORLD-class series) is expected to inaugurate Doha’s Grand Cruise Terminal which is capable of handling ~28000 passengers per day.
The naming ceremony will be held on November 13th, in partnership with Qatar Airways as part of the Vision 2030 plan for Qatar to triple its number of international tourists by the beginning of the next decade.
MSC World Europa will set sail on the Maiden Voyage on December 20th, offering 7-night voyages to Doha, Abu Dhabi, Dubai (Port Rashid-Dubai Harbour, UAE), Sir Bani Yas Island, and Dammam (Saudi Arabia, Riyadh).
From March 2023, the newbuild will move to the Mediterranean operating 7-night voyages visiting Genoa (Milan), Messina Sicily, and Naples, as well as Valletta Malta, Barcelona Spain, and Marseille France.
Meanwhile, the ship MSC Opera will also offer 7-night itineraries in the Arabian Gulf visiting the UAE's Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Sir Bani Yas, as well as Oman's Khasab and Muscat.
World Class MSC ships are with max passenger capacity 6774 (5079 lower berths). Building cost per ship is EUR 1,125 billion (USD 1,255B). The shipbuilder is Chantiers de l'Atlantique (fka STX France). The shipbuilding order includes 2 initial units, plus 2 optional. Each vessel has Gross Tonnage/volume 153,516 (GT tons), LOA length 323 m (1060 ft), beam/width 41 m (135 ft), height 75 m (245 ft), draft 9 m (30 ft).
When was first announced by MSC (in April 2016), this ship design was planned with GT 205,000 tons, 2760 passenger staterooms, max passenger capacity 6850 (world's biggest by capacity). By GT tonnage/volume, MSC's World Class represents one of the world's largest passenger ships.