MSC Crociere takes delivery of new flagship

In a traditional handover ceremony last week, MSC Crociere officially received its new flagship MSC Splendida from the STX Europe shipyard at Saint-Nazaire (France).

The ceremony involved the lowering of the French flag and that of the shipyard, followed by the raising of the MSC Crociere and Italian flags, to the accompaniment of the French and Italian national anthems. The exchange of flags was followed by the symbolic cutting of a ribbon, the breaking of a bottle of champagne and finally three blasts of the ship’s siren.

Attending the ceremony were Jacques Hardelay, General Manager of STX Europe, MSC Crociere owner Gianluigi Aponte, the company’s CEO Pierfrancesco Vago, Country Manager Erminio Eschena and the ship’s captain Giuliano Bossi. The godmother who cut the ribbon at the ceremony was Rafaela Aponte, wife of Mr Aponte and the true ‘soul’ behind every ship in the MSC Crociere fleet, being closely involved in every stage of their construction from the initial design to the selection of colours and materials.

“We are delighted to take delivery of this fabulous new flagship,” said MSC Crociere’s CEO Pierfrancesco Vago. “Not only is she a pioneering example of environmentally-friendly ship design; but as the tenth ship in the fleet, she also represents an important milestone in MSC Crociere’s growth. The 5.5 billion euro investment programme we initiated in 2003 is nearing completion, and we now look forward to the arrival of MSC Magnifica in 2010.”

The entrance of MSC Splendida in the MSC Crociere fleet confirms its status as the most modern fleet in the world. She and sister ship MSC Fantasia, christened last December, are the largest ships ever built by a European ship owner. Each of them is 333,3m long, 66.8m tall and can accommodate 3,959 passengers.

From Saint-Nazaire, MSC Splendida will depart on a pre-christening cruise, calling at the Spanish port of Vigo (Monday 6th July), Lisbon (Tuesday 7th), Malaga (Wednesday 8th), Palma (Thursday 9th) and Marseille (Friday 10th) before arriving at the port of Barcelona on Saturday 11th July for the official christening ceremony the following day.

MSC Crociere currently has the most modern fleet in the world, comprising ten ships: MSC Splendida and MSC Fantasia (the largest ships ever built for a European ship owner), MSC Poesia, MSC Orchestra, MSC Musica, MSC Sinfonia, MSC Armonia, MSC Opera, MSC Lirica and MSC Melody. MSC Magnifica will be launched in 2010.

The fleet cruises year round in the Mediterranean and seasonally in Northern Europe, the Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean, North America and Canada, South America, the Indian Ocean, South and West Africa. MSC Crociere is the only company in the world to receive the “6 Golden Pearls” award from the Bureau Veritas in recognition of its high level of quality management and environmental protection.