by Brian Major
Last updated: 1:00 PM ET, Thu March 20, 2014
MSC Cruises announced it has signed a letter of intent with the STX France shipyard to build two 167,600 ton, 5,700-passenger cruise ships to be delivered in 2017 and 2019. The ships will be constructed in STX's Saint-Nazaire shipyard. Financial details of the agreement, which includes an option for two additional ships, were not released.
Construction of the first of the ships is due to begin in the spring of 2015. The contract will be binding when the financial package is secured, according to the parties.
"The launch of this prototype and the building of these two new ships confirm our commitment to further growth and to further development," said MSC Cruises' Executive Chairman Pierfrancesco Vago, who said the new ships will expand MSC's fleet capacity by 31 percent. The company currently operates 12 cruise ships.
The new vessels will be built under STX's "Ecorizon" program, designed to create cruise ships that are "water emission free" with hulls and propulsion systems that are "optimized" for better energy efficiency. In addition, "The installation of scrubbers will allow for fumes to be neutralized and carbon dioxide emissions to be in accordance with the latest evolutions of international maritime regulations," according to STX officials.
Gianni Onorato, MSC's CEO, described the new ships as the largest "ever built by a European ship owner," adding they will feature "new panoramic spaces," an amusement park connected to an outdoor aqua park and a two-deck "inside promenade."
The ships will also feature specially designed family staterooms and an MSC Yacht Club, a self-contained private club that will feature a solarium, a private lounge and restaurant, and duplex suites.
"The latest commercial negotiation was particularly challenging in the light of today's global competitive landscape in the shipbuilding industry," said Laurent Castaing, STX France's general manager, referring to the relatively slow global market for new cruise ship projects. "I would like to point out that the competitiveness agreement signed with our trade unions has been decisive to reach this LOI signature," he added.
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