The MSC Musica opened the 2013 season today in the Passenger Port of St.Petersburg “Marine Façade.”

This is the Musica’s first call to St.Petersburg and Port Operations Director Alexey Kitikov exchanged Plaques with Captain Pier Paolo Scala.

The port also pointed that the Musica called on same day that the Mariinsky Theater opened its doors to a brand-new, sophisticated stage.

This year MSC ships will be serviced in St. Petersburg by their Russian sister company MSC Russia, while director Alexander Isurin also attended the ceremony.

Besides the Musica, the Magnifica and Poesia are also scheduled to arrive in St.Petersburg this season, bringing the total number of MSC calls to 20.

Marine Facade President Serik Zhusupov said that in 2013 port traffic will rise from 224 to 252 calls, generating half a million passengers, a 19 percent increase over 2012.

Construction of the facility was completed in 2011 and now Marine Facade offers seven fully operational berths for cruise ships exceeding 300 meters in length, with four terminals, including one dedicated to ferry traffic. The port is able to handle 12.000 passengers a day.