The coin ceremony took place today at the Fincantieri shipyard in Monfalcone, Italy, as the keel was laid for MSC Seashore, set to debut in June 2021 as MSC’s longest ship at 339 meters.
She is an evolution of the Seaside class of vessels and is one of two on order in the new Seaside Evo class, with a second ship set to follow in 2023.
Long-standing employees Marianna Cicala, Ground Services Planning Manager, MSC Cruises and Silvia Bozzetto, Production Planning & Control Commissioning of the Monfalcone shipyard, performed ritual as godmothers when they placed two coins under the new ship’s keel as the historical maritime sign of blessing and good fortune.
Pierfrancesco Vago, MSC Cruises’ Executive Chairman, said: “Today’s ceremony marks another key milestone in the construction of one of our most innovative all-around ships yet. Most importantly, MSC Seashore – which will feature the latest and most advanced environmental technology currently available – represents another proof of our long-standing commitment to preserve the environment in our ongoing journey to minimise and continuously reduce the impact of our operations.”
The MSC Seashore will be fitted with a state-of-the-art Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) system and a next-generation Advanced Wastewater Treatment (AWT) system along with a shorepower system.
These new features add to other effective environmental technologies deployed on MSC Seashore and across the company’s fleet to minimize and continuously reduce environmental impact, according to a press release.
Giuseppe Bono, Fincantieri CEO, commented: “The beginning of the drydock works of MSC Seashore, the largest ship so far built in Italy, is for us a source of great satisfaction: she is the symbol of ‘Evo,’ a successful project for our Group, innovating the already futuristic Seaside concept, that created two units highly welcomed by the market. It is a real challenge in terms of structural and managerial aspects, which powers the impressive workload for the shipyard and the local area. We therefore are very pleased for such a celebration which seals the fruitful partnership with MSC Cruises and we are confident that there will be other similar moments in the future”.
More than 40 percent of the ship has been redesigned and enhanced from the Seaside, according to a press release.
The ship design has been lengthened by 16 meters, allowing for 200 additional cabins, a larger MSC Yacht Club and an additional double-deck aft lounge. Internally, completely redesigned spaces with two central meeting points positioned at the middle and forward part of the ship are among the highlights, as well as specific measures to further enhance passenger flows.
Overall, the ship has 10,000 square metres of additional deck space, according to a press release.
The ship will feature new cabin designs such as cluster cabins for families that link two or three adjoining cabins and can accommodate between six and 10 people, plus bigger and more spacious cabins for guests with a disability – 75 in total – will be available.
Two brand new restaurants will be introduced, including one exclusively for Aurea guests. There will be a new location for the five specialty restaurants to allow for waterfront seating on the ship’s boardwalk to give guests a greater sea view as they dine al fresco.
The MSC Seashore will also have a new two-deck show lounge at the aft part of the ship, a bigger casino and 20 distinct specialty bars. The ship will feature a new design of her aft pool design, an enlarged indoor pool and a new interactive waterpark will provide thrills and spills for guests of all ages.
