MSC Cruises has confirmed a third and fourth ship to join its World-class fleet of vessels, following the new MSC World Europa and upcoming MSC World America.
The unnamed World Class 3 and World Class 4 ships will come online in 2026 and 2027, respectively. Like the preceding sister ships, the future vessels will be powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG), and built at Chantiers de l’Atlantique shipyard in Saint-Nazaire, France.
“We are proud to continue our 20-year partnership with the Chantiers de l’Atlantique, with whom we have already built 18 ships, with our 19th under construction,” said Pierfrancesco Vago, executive chairman of MSC Cruises.
“The World Class is a truly innovative prototype, and together we are building some of the most advanced ships in the world. We are committed to researching and investing in future environmental technologies as they become available, to ensure we continue progressing on our decarbonization journey to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.”
The World Class is a truly innovative prototype, and together we are building some of the most advanced ships in the world.
World Europa and World America already exceed the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI) requirements, and the next two in the series will evolve to further maximize efficiencies, utilizing heat recovery and other technologies. For instance, the next pair will be capable of being powered by alternate fuels, such as bio and synthetic methane, as well as green methanol, employing dual fuel internal combustion engines that feature reduced methane slip.
“At a difficult time for the European shipbuilding industry, MSC Cruises has shown its confidence in our abilities and skills with this order,” said Laurent Castaing, general manager, Chantiers de l’Atlantique.
“We would therefore like to express our gratitude to MSC Cruises for its renewed confidence at this crucial time,” Castaing continued. “In addition, MSC Cruises, always seeking to reduce the environmental impact of its ships quickly and significantly, has accepted a significant cost premium to improve the energy efficiency of these new ships which, according to the IMO's EEDI index, will emit 50% less CO2 than the IMO's 2008 benchmark.”
Castaing also expressed his gratitude to their government for supporting the builder’s research and development policy of making greener ships, thus facilitating MSC’s order expectations.
