The Fincantieri shipyard in Monfalcone, Italy, delivered the 69,900 gross-ton Explora 1 to Explora Journeys, which is MSC Group’s new luxury brand.
Explora 1 will embark on its inaugural seven-day voyage from Copenhagen on Aug. 1, 2023, calling at Reykjavik, Iceland; Lerwick, Shetland Islands; and Kirkwall, Orkney.
“Today is a historic day, and represents a decisive step in our growth path, because it marks the entry of the MSC Group into the luxury travel sector,” said Pierfrancesco Vago, executive chairman, cruise division, MSC Group, during the July 20 delivery ceremony. “This segment has strong growth prospects, in which we strongly believe and whose standards we aim to redefine, focusing as always on excellence and luxury.”
Explora 1 will sail the waters of Northern Europe for several weeks and “then cross the Atlantic Sea via Greenland to spend the autumn in North America, the winter in the Caribbean and spring on the US West Coast and Hawaii before returning to Europe in Summer 2024 for a collection of journeys in the Mediterranean Sea,” Explora Journeys said.
In all, Explora Journeys has three more ships on order, which are set to enter service through 2027.
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