MSC Seashore – the first of MSC Cruises’ Seaside EVO-class cruise ships – has taken the prototype of the Seaside class and enhanced it
The ship, which has been built by Fincantieri, is due to be delivered in July 2021. MSC Cruises vice president newbuilding Trevor Young tells PST, “We are constantly looking to innovate and push design boundaries. We took the already ground-breaking prototype of the Seaside class and looked at how we could enhance it even further to create the Seaside EVO ships. 65% of the public areas have been reimagined as a true evolution of the first two Seaside ships.”
MSC Seashore, which will be MSC Cruises’ longest ship at 339 m, is the third of four vessels in MSC Cruises’ innovative Seaside class of ships, following MSC Seaside and MSC Seaview which launched in 2017 and 2018 respectively, and the first of two enriched Seaside EVO ships.
Mr Young explains the company worked on the aft of the ship, which allowed them to introduce a brand-new lounge, Cabaret Rouge, spanning two decks with panoramic views of the sea, offering new entertainment experiences.
Mr Young adds, “The specialty restaurant experience has been completely redesigned with the newly located Chef’s Court now on deck eight. Each of the pools have been enhanced including an impressive double-deck extended magrodome pool and an incredible Infinity pool at the aft which really is one of the key design features of the ship.”
Highlights of MSC Seashore include 13,000 m2 of outdoor space with a wide choice of outdoor bars and dining, pools and deck area for relaxing and sunbathing; six swimming pools with enlarged poolside areas including a new Infinity pool and two new Infinity whirlpools, an expansive 540-m waterfront promenade close to the water, which, says Mr Young, is “ideal for grabbing a drink and al fresco dining or simply taking a stroll to enjoy the fresh sea air”.
It will contain the largest and most luxurious MSC Yacht Club, spanning 3,000 m2 over four decks with two palatial new owners’ suites. There are 11 types of cabins and suites with balconies including the coveted aft suits, 50 terraced suites with extended balconies offering up to 15 m2 of private terrace and 32 suites with private outdoor whirlpools.
Environmentally friendly features are also a crucial part of the ship. Mr Young elaborates, “MSC Seashore will be equipped with the latest technologies to minimise its environmental footprint. It is fitted with a state-of-the-art selective catalytic reduction system to reduce nitrogen oxide by 90% and a next-generation advanced wastewater treatment system to treat wastewater to a very high quality where the end product is of a better standard than most land-based municipal waste standards around the world.”
He adds, “These features will add to other effective environmental technologies deployed on MSC Seashore and across the rest of our fleet to minimise and continuously reduce environmental impact, and ensure even cleaner air emissions, including cutting-edge hybrid exhaust gas cleaning systems that remove 98% of sulphur oxide from ship emissions; advanced waste management systems; ballast water treatment systems approved by the United States Coast Guard; latest-technology systems for the prevention of oil discharges from machinery spaces and various effective energy-efficiency improvements – from heat recovery systems to LED lighting.”
MSC Seashore is equipped with an underwater radiated noise management system, with hull and engineroom designs that minimise acoustic sound impact, reducing their potential effects on marine fauna, and particularly marine mammals in the surrounding waters.
Furthermore, like all MSC Cruises’ newbuilds, MSC Seashore incorporates smart ventilation and advanced air conditioning systems with automated energy recovery loops that redistribute heat and cold to reduce demand. The ships use LED lighting controlled by smart management systems to enhance further the energy saving profile. MSC Cruises adds, “In partnership with the shipyards, all newbuilds are fitted with remote energy monitoring and analysis systems, allowing real-time shoreside support to optimise operational efficiency on board.”
MSC Seashore will also be fitted with shore-to-ship power which connects a docked cruise ship to a port’s local power grid to further reduce air emissions. Mr Young points out that this feature is broadly available across MSC Cruises’ entire fleet and has been standard across all of its new ships since 2017.
MSC Cruises has retained the consortium of electrical propulsion system providers it assembled for its Seaside class for its Seaside EVO vessels.
An extra 4.8 MW of engine power has been added on board the Seaside EVO-class cruise ships, which are nearly 35,500 gt bigger and a deck taller than Seaside-class vessels Seaside and Seaview.
Included in this added power is an extra 2 MW for propulsion of the 169,400-gt, 5,632-passenger vessel, to be provided through two slow-speed, synchronous motors driving twin shaftlines. The 21-MW motors will be supplied by GE Marine, which is leading the consortium to design and specify electric propulsion technology for the new ships.
GE Marine Solutions is overseeing the design and specification of the propulsion system. As well as the propulsion motors, it will provide four 13.5-MVA propulsion transformers, four variable frequency drive core components and distribution transformers. Also in the consortium are Italian suppliers NIDEC, supplying generators, and Imesa, providing medium-voltage switchboards.
The vessel deploys four Wärtsilä 14V 46F engines.
Covid-proof measures
MSC Seashore will be the first cruise ship in the world to feature a new air sanitation system, ‘Safe Air’. This is an innovative sanitation system to improve the quality and cleanliness of the onboard air for its guests and crew.
Mr Young says, “The Safe Air next-generation sanitation system is based on the technology of UV-C lamps which are type C ultraviolet rays applied in combination with the ship’s air conditioning system, whereby air flow is radiated at source with a short wavelength light that hits organic particles and prevents the circulation of air pollutants such as viruses, bacteria and mould.”
The Safe Air sanitation system was developed by Fincantieri’s designers and technicians and the virology laboratory of the International Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, a leading global research institute headquartered in Trieste, Italy.
The Institute provides businesses with scientific support to develop innovative technological solutions for the control of virus infections, which is particularly relevant today given the current global pandemic.
Indeed, as highlighted in Riviera Maritime Media’s Cruise ships: preparing to sail again webinar – part of Passenger Ship Technology Webinar week in April 2021 – MSC Cruises leading adviser to the chief executive Luca Matola, who was on the webinar panel – highlighted how MSC Cruises has adopted a new ‘above and beyond’ health and safety operating protocol for its restart. Mr Matola highlighted the “main pillars” of the cruise operator’s health and safety protocol. “It is important the protocol is designed to adapt, be very flexible and to introduce new measures.
“Of key importance is that we test all guests at least once before boarding and mid cruise. The second pillar is an extension of this approach to the crew members,” he told the webinar audience. Crew will be tested on board weekly.
Another pillar is elevated sanitation and cleaning measures, and Mr Matola emphasised, “ventilation is key, we have 100% fresh air through our HVAC system.” There will also be responsible social distancing. “We will reduce capacity on the ships, with more than 10 m2 per person in public spaces and simplify the experience for guests,” said Mr Matola. Other pillars include enhanced medical facilities, and that guests only go ashore as part of an MSC shore excursion.
New York interiors inspiration
Moving to the interiors of the ship, Mr Young says, “The Seaside class of ships was designed with MSC Cruises’ US guests in mind. MSC Seaside, with its glamourous exterior architecture, was inspired by the beach condos of Miami, and now MSC Seashore pays tribute to New York City, which as a destination represents the spirit of discovery and cultural experiences at the heart of the MSC Cruises guest experience.”
As such, the design features, public areas and venue names are inspired by the metropolitan US city.
These include a 4m-high replica of the Statue of Liberty at the heart of the casino and a newly designed expansive retail and entertainment area, named Times Square.
The main feature of this new area is an 8.5m-high LED wall spanning four decks with a projection of the iconic skyline of this entertainment hub in Manhattan that can change from day to night.
On Deck 18, the main pool – Long Island Pool – has two different depths so guests can choose to swim or stand in the water. The newly designed area includes a 360° water fountain island in the centre as well as a new lounge space within the pool. It is connected with the aquapark with a Pirates Cove theme to create an extensive water area.
MSC Seashore’s 13,000 m2 of outdoor space also includes the glass-floored Bridge of Sighs located at a vantage point on deck 16, 22 m above the Infinity pool. There are also panoramic aft elevators and glass floor catwalks on either side of the ship on the waterfront promenade.
Commenting on both MSC Seashore and newbuild MSC Virtuosa at the start of this year, MSC Cruises director of sustainability Linden Coppell said, “Every new ship that joins our fleet incorporates solutions to minimise our environmental footprint. MSC Virtuosa and MSC Seashore will be no exception. As new technologies are identified, we also work to improve the existing fleet, investigating retrofit opportunities, incorporating new energy reduction measures, working extensively with industry experts and seeking out drop-in alternative fuels to achieve the ambitious carbon intensity reduction goals of our industry.”
Snapshot CV: Trevor Young
As vice president of newbuilding and refurbishment, Trevor Young is co-ordinating the 13 newbuilding projects that are currently part of MSC Cruises’ fleet expansion plan. He also co-ordinates all refurbishment projects in the company’s existing fleet. Mr Young’s career started with him earning a diploma of business and hospitality management along with a certificate in hotel and catering management which led him to the cruise industry in 1996.
Mr Young joined Star Cruises in 1996. He was previously Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings vice president, hotel newbuilding and refurbishment.
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