MSC Cruises has signed an order for two new “Seaside EVO” cruise ships during the delivery ceremony for the cruise line’s new flagship, the MSC Seaside.
The delivery ceremony, which took place at the Fincantieri shipyard in Monfalcone, Italy, marks the delivery of the second newbuild cruise ship for MSC Cruises this year. At the event MSC Cruises and Fincantieri also signed firm orders for the construction of the two Seaside EVO ships, which are being billed as a “further evolution of the Seaside Class prototype,” according to a statement by the cruise line. The new ships represent a total investment of 1.8 billion euros.
The move is similar to the relationship between the line’s newly launched MSC Meraviglia and its upcoming “Meraviglia-Plus” class of cruise ships. The Meraviglia-Plus ships, which were first announced in February 2016, build on the prototype developed by the MSC Meraviglia, which launched this past June, and the MSC Belissima, which is scheduled to debut in March 2019.
MSC Cruises said that, as part of the new agreement between the cruise line and Fincantieri, the initial slot reservation agreement to build a third Seaside Class ship to be delivered in 2021 has been replaced with an agreement to build the first of the two Seaside EVO ships. The second is scheduled to come into service in 2023.
Key specs for the new Seaside EVO are as follows:
- Length/beam: 1,060 ft. / 134 ft.
- Gross tonnage: 169,380 GRT
- LSA: 7,280
Seaside EVO ships will be larger than the Seaside Class, with more cabins and an expanded MSC Yacht Club sporting an additional deck and bigger cabins. It will have a capacity of up to 5,646 passengers, smaller than the Meraviglia Plus’ maximum capacity of 6,300 guests. The MSC EVO ships will also incorporate a number of environmentally friendly features, such as a catalytic reduction system, active emissions control, exhaust gas cleaning, waste management and recycling systems, advanced water treatment systems, and an energy and heat recovery system. Other energy-saving features will include LED lighting in all areas, and a hydrodynamic hull with anti-fouling paint will reduce wave resistance, resulting in greater fuel efficiency.
In a written release, MSC Cruises Executive Chairman Pierfrancesco Vago said that the Seaside EVO would be the fifth new prototype that the line is bringing into service, with the announcement capping a 2017 of major capacity growth. The cruise line is expecting the delivery of at least one new ship each year through 2026, with six to come into service between 2017 and 2020.
MSC Seaside is the first ship in the line’s Seaside Class, and it is set to being sailing from Miami on cruises to the eastern and western Caribbean. Its sibling ship, the MSC Seaview, its set to come into service in June 2018 in the Mediterranean. At the ceremony Vago announced that the MSC Seaview will be christened in Civitavecchia, Italy, on June 2, 2018.
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