MSC Cruises and Chantiers de l’Atlantique shipyard agreed on the construction of the 3rd and 4th LNG-powered World-class cruise ships to operate under the line’s brand.
The two newbuilds will be delivered in 2025 and 2027, representing a total investment of EUR 2 billion (US$2.22 billion) from MSC Cruises. The first World-class liner, MSC Europa, is currently under construction at Chantiers de l’Atalantique Shipyard (STX France) in Saint-Nazaire and is due to become the first LNG-powered ship to be built in France as well as the largest ship operated by a European company when she enters service in 2022.
MSC Cruises and Chantiers de L’Atalantique extended their partnership via the signing of a couple of memorandums of understanding.
The first MoU will see the companies work together to develop a new prototype class of LNG-powered cruise vessels, focusing on emerging environmental technologies to meet the International Maritime Organizations’ (IMO) targets for 2030 and 2050. The 4 ships that would potentially be built in the new class would represent another investment of EUR 4 billion (US$4.43 billion).
The 2nd MoU will see the development of another prototype cruise ship class, exploring opportunities for the use of wind power along with other technologies in passenger shipping.