Successful sea trail for MSC Splendida

MSC Splendida – the second in MSC Cruises’s luxurious Fantasia class of cruise ships – successfully completed its sea trials on the afternoon of Sunday 24 May. The company’s new flagship left the Forme Joubert dock at STX Europe shipyard in St Nazaire, France, at 1500 on Thursday 21 May and headed out to the Ile d’Yeu and Belle-Ile for 72 hours’ sailing in the open sea.

These trials made it possible to check numerous aspects of the ship’s performance, from comfort - noise and vibrations - to manoeuvrability, hydrodynamics and propulsion.

Four tugboats were used to secure MSC Splendida’s transfer from the Forme Joubert dock, before she became acquainted with the Atlantic - unaccompanied for the first time. She returned to the shipyard, dock C, on Sunday afternoon.

Approximately 400 people were mobilised during the sea trials.

On completion of the ultimate trials and interior fitting, the flagship will be delivered to the ship owner on Saturday 4 July, when the flag changing ceremony will be performed. MSC Splendida will leave the shipyard on the same day and set out on her pre-christening voyage towards Barcelona, Spain.

En route, the ship will call at Vigo, Spain; Lisbon, Portugal; Malaga, Spain; Palma de Mallorca, Balearic Islands/Spain; Marseille, France; and Barcelona. There she will be christened by screen icon Sophia Loren – the company’s godmother – during a grand celebration scheduled for Sunday 12 July.

For more information, visit Msccruises.co.uk.