MSC Seashore touches water for the 1st time

The Fincantieri shipyard in Monfalcone, Italy has floated out MSC Seashore, MSC Cruises’ longest ship featuring 339 metres.

The shipbuilder said that the vessel has now been moved to a wet dock until her delivery in July 2021 to allow for work on her interior.

MSC Seashore is the third of a total of four Seaside class of ships, following MSC Seaside and MSC Seaview, which launched in 2017 and 2018 respectively, and the first of two enriched Seaside Evo ships.

Giuseppe Bono, CEO, Fincantieri, said MSC Seashore would become the new flagship of MSC Cruises: a record-breaking ship, that focuses on innovation, technology and design.

“The uncertain situation that we are experiencing worldwide adds even more important value to this day, which bodes well not only for MSC Cruises and for our company, but for the entire cruise industry,” he added.

“MSC Seashore will in fact be the largest and most innovative cruise vessel ever built in Italy, featuring the latest and most advanced environmental technology currently available. She will also be one of two new ships for which we will receive delivery in 2021 thus underlying our belief in the long-term growth prospects of the sector – as also demonstrated by the return to service of our first ship earlier this week,” Pierfrancesco Vago, Executive Chairman, MSC Cruises added.

MSC Cruises resumed sailing in Italy with MSC Grandiosa departing from Genoa on August 17, the first of the company’s ships to return to service, following the pause due to COVID-19 impact.

The 169,500 GT ship with a maximum capacity of 5,877 guests, will be equipped with a selective catalytic reduction (SCR) system to reduce nitrogen oxide by 90 per cent and an advanced wastewater treatment system (AWTS) to treat wastewater.

MSC Seashore will be fitted with hybrid exhaust gas cleaning systems (EGCS); ballast water treatment systems approved by the United States Coast Guard; systems for the prevention of oil discharges from machinery spaces and various energy-efficiency improvements.

The vessel will also feature shore-to-ship power systems which connects a docked cruise ship to a port’s local power grid to further reduce air emissions.

MSC Cruises currently has on order three LNG-powered vessels one of which is currently under construction.