The naming ceremony for the new 2,626-cabin MSC Cruises ship MSC World Europa took place in Doha (Qatar) on Sunday, November 13th, ahead of the World Cup.
MSC’s first LNG-powered ship (by liquefied natural gas) “paves the way towards the uptake of carbon-neutral synthetic and other alternative fuels as soon as they are available at scale”.
According to MSC UK & Ireland's managing director Antonio Paradiso the naming ceremony of MSC World Europa had been a brilliant event celebrated with their UK and Ireland trade partners.
“MSC World Europa is our most innovative, environmentally advanced and exciting ship to date.
“We’re already seeing a surge in bookings on board MSC World Europa and it is proving to be the most popular ship for UK guests following MSC Virtuosa which is based in Southampton year-round.
“Winter cruises in the Middle East have always been a success with our UK guests and in recent years we have expanded our offering in this popular region.
“We have developed new itineraries that include Qatar, Oman, Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia as well as, of course, Dubai and Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, and we have also increased the number of ports of embarkation.”
The new ship enters service on December 20th, 2022, after being deployed as a floating hotel during the football tournament with a 4-night Christmas sailing to Dubai UAE. MSC World Europa will then run 7-night sailings in the Arabian Gulf region prior to repositioning on March 25th, 2023, to the Mediterranean in order to operate week-long voyages calling at the Italian ports of Naples, Messina, and Genoa, as well as Valletta (Malta), Barcelona (Spain), and Marseille (France).