By
Rebecca Gibson |
MSC Cruises’ new mega ship MSC Meraviglia was floated out of drydock at STX France’s Saint-Nazaire shipyard on 2 September.
Set to enter service in June 2017, MSC Meraviglia is the first in MSC Cruises’ Meraviglia class and her ceremony was attended by representatives from MSC Cruises, STX France, the Senator of Pays de la Loire Region Bruno Retailleau, the General Council President of Loire Atlantique Philippe Grosvalet and the Mayor of Saint-Nazaire David Samzun.
“Since we opened sales last year for MSC Meraviglia’s inaugural season in the Western Mediterranean, from the very beginning demand has been extremely encouraging,” said Gianni Onorato, MSC Cruises’ CEO. “This make us believe that this is a generation of ships with a bright future ahead, that has already caught the attention of holidaymakers from all markets.”
During the ceremony, MSC Cruises also revealed that the name of the second STX France-built Meraviglia ship will be named MSC Bellissima and debut in spring 2019.
“MSC Bellissima is a name that embodies the beauty and the magnificence of this entire next generation of MSC Cruises ultra-modern mega ships, so rich with new features and amenities for guests of all ages and interests,” said Gianni Onorato, MSC Cruises’ CEO. “We are so pleased to be able to make this announcement on the very day that her sister ship MSC Meraviglia is touched for the first time by water, a moment that symbolises the real birth of a ship.”
“We are extremely proud to design and build MSC Cruises’ next generations of cruise ships,” said Laurent Castaing, president of STX France. “We are aware and thankful for the trust this amazing company has in our innovation ability. It’s been more than 12 years that our industrial partnership has started, and we are always excited by the challenges of fulfilling MSC ambitions.”