MSC Cruises is installing a new and advanced innovative technology sanitation system called “Safe Air” to improve further the quality and cleanliness of the onboard air for its guests and crew. It says it will be the first cruise line in the world to use the technology.
“Safe Air” will be fitted on MSC Seashore, currently under construction at shipbuilder Fincantieri’s Monfalcone yard. MSC Seashore is set to be delivered in July 2021 and be the first of two Seaside Evo-class ships.
The “Safe Air” sanitation system is based on the technology of UV-C lamps, which are type C ultraviolet rays applied in combination with the ship’s air conditioning system, whereby air flow is radiated at source with a short wavelength light that hits organic particles and prevents the circulation of air pollutants such as viruses, bacteria and mold. The “Safe Air” sanitation system was developed by Fincantieri’s designers and technicians and the virology laboratory of the International Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, a leading global research institute headquartered in Trieste, Italy.
The announcement is another step in MSC Cruises’ ongoing commitment to health and safety. In August, MSC became the first major cruise line in the world to return to sea with a new and comprehensive health and safety protocol approved by a range of national and regional authorities in Europe following the temporary halt of the global industry in March as a result of the pandemic ashore.
Since August 16 when MSC Grandiosa resumed seven-night sailings in the western Mediterranean, it has completed nine voyages with more than 16,000 guests. The ship was joined this week by MSC Magnifica, sailing longer 10-night cruises in the west and east Mediterranean.
All guests go through universal health screening before boarding a ship, which comprises three comprehensive steps: A temperature check, a review of a personal health questionnaire and a COVID-19 antigen swab test. Crew are tested up to three times before being permitted to start their work. Other aspects of the health and safety protocol cover elevated sanitation and cleaning, protected ‘bubble’ shore excursions, facemasks and maintaining social distancing, enhanced onboard medical facilities, daily health monitoring and a robust contingency plan.
The protocols were designed by MSC Cruises’ in-house specialists in medical services, public health and sanitation, hotel services, heating, ventilation and air conditioning, other shipboard engineering systems, information technology and logistics. A “Blue-Ribbon COVID-19 Expert Group,” comprising a panel of international and highly qualified professionals whose role is to inform and review the MSC Cruises’ protocol to ensure that the cruise line’s actions are appropriate, effective and informed by the best available science and health practices, was also established.
MSC Seashore—like all of the company’s new vessels—will also include some of the latest technologies and solutions available to reduce its environmental footprint, such as a state-of-the-art selective catalytic reduction system and a next-generation advanced wastewater treatment system. MSC Seashore will also be fitted with shore-to-ship power capabilities that allow the vessel to connect to local power grids while at berth, further reducing air emissions.
Visit www.msccruisesusa.com.
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