At the coin ceremony for the second ship in its Seaside class, MSC Seaview, MSC Cruises took the opportunity to look back at what has been meteoric growth for a company that entered the business just over a decade ago.
Back in 2003 MSC Lirica was the first investment into cruise shipping for this private, family-owned company with worldwide container ship, ferry and terminal interests. Speaking at the ceremony, which took place at shipbuilder Fincantieri’s Monfalcone shipyard in February, MSC Cruises chief executive Gianni Onorato commented: “Our business has always been the sea. We focus only on the shipping business. In the world panorama of cruise, it is something different.”
Between 2003 and 2013 the company invested €5.7 billion in the construction of 12 cruise ships, and last year saw the beginning of a €9 billion investment in building 11 ships, including three options, over the coming decade. “It is a very exciting and ambitious plan but it is in line with our belief that this is a fantastic business. There is huge potential for growth in North America and Europe, and also in Asia, particularly China,” he said.
This year sees the delivery of two new classes of ship – 5,700 passenger, 167,600gt MSC Meraviglia in June, and 5,179 passenger, 160,000gt MSC Seaside in December. In 2018 MSC Seaview will be delivered and in 2020 MSC Bellissima, the second in the Meraviglia class. There are two Meraviglia plus ships on order for delivery in 2020 and 2022, each of 177,100gt and to carry 6,297 passengers.
Finally there is an order for two plus two new liquefied natural gas (LNG) powered cruise ships in the MSC Cruises World class. These are due for delivery between 2022 and 2026 and will each be 200,000gt and carry 7,000 passengers.
With regard to confirming the option for a third vessel in the Seaside class for delivery in 2021, Mr Onorato commented: “In my professional career I have never seen an option not signed.”
Pierfrancesco Vago, executive chairman of MSC Cruises, commented: “These two new vessels are a key part of our vision for sustained growth. We will be carrying five million passengers by 2026 which is triple those of today. In 2003 we entered cruise and there has been an 800 per cent growth since then. MSC Seaside is only the first step to establishing a footprint in North America.”
He announced the deployment of a third, Fantasia class, ship to join MSC Seaside in North America, as well as a ship in the Meraviglia class by 2019. He added: “Our growth will go well beyond this official announcement today. We want to become a mainstream brand in North America.” He pointed out: “We are already the number one shipping line operating in North America with container ships.”
Discussing MSC Seaside and its expected impact on the industry, he commented: “We wanted to turn a few heads in North America and, in particular, in Miami with this ship.
“It is not only good for the industry but also for the communities the ships touch. The shipyard is the first of these. There are 2,000 workers on board each month and closer to the time there will be 3,300 workers, including subcontractors and contractors. Shipbuilding creates jobs and has solid and tangible economic benefits.”
In its partnership with Fincantieri, MSC Cruises has already invested €2.5 billion, explained Mr Vago. “Fincantieri will be a big supplier partner of MSC going forward, not just for newbuildings but for refurbishments, too.” With regard to scrubber installation, the company has signed another two ships in Fincantieri’s Palermo shipyard and there is an option for a third Seaside class vessel to be confirmed. “We might also be looking at other opportunities eventually,” he explained.
As to the ships themselves, the company is intent on appealing to future passengers as well as to the passengers of today. Mr Onorato said: “The ships are to be for the guests of today but also for the guests of tomorrow. We have done a lot of research into what people will be looking for in the future. This is a challenge not only for cruise but for tourism generally.”
While guests want modern ships and a connected holiday he explained that, for example, “Italians will be looking for brioche and coffee after two days.”. He also pointed out that the destination is still what drives choice.
MSC Seaside will begin sailing out of its home port, PortMiami, in Florida. Mr Onorato explained: “We want to be an important player in Miami and in North America. We do not need to be the North American leader. It is enough to be the European leader. We have a new home and new visibility in Miami. PortMiami believes in our plans and is investing in our facilities. We intend to grow there.”
The company is also investing in a new destination, Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve in the Bahamas, 65 miles from Miami. Originally scheduled to be open to guests in late 2017, the island will now be ready in October 2018. Mr Onorato said: “We do not want just a private island. We want something more exclusive.”
The same ambition applied to MSC Seaside. He said: “We decided to have a different ship which would be, in the true sense of the word, ‘innovation.’ It looks different. It will bring guests in much closer contact with the sea. They need to have a high level of service but they also need to see the sea so they know they are on a ship. With every element, from the cabins to the restaurants, the outdoor facilities are present inside as well as outside. This makes the difference between MSC and the industry at large.”
There will be 3.2m2 outdoor space for each passenger which is the highest ratio in the industry, according to Mr Onorato. The promenade, at 7m, will be the widest to date. There will also be different sized balconies depending on the category purchased, “so there will be options for every guest’s pocket and needs.”
Behind the scenes MSC Cruises, like its competitors, has been working hard on connectivity. When MSC Meraviglia enters service on 1 June 2017, it will be the first to introduce MSC for Me, the company’s digital innovation programme which will be rolled out fleetwide. Mr Onorato commented: “We will have the first, most advanced, smart ship. We will have a new way of integrating technology into the heart of hospitality.” The ship will be fitted with 16,000 points of connectivity, 700 digital access points, 358 informative and interactive screens and 2,244 cabins with RFID (radio frequency identification) and NFC (near field communications) access technology.
For the last three years the company has been working with leading digital, technology and behavioural science experts including Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Co, Bosch, Deloitte Digital and Samsung to make MSC for Me possible. “The cruise card will pay for all the services but it will also recognise the guest via 1,200 face-recognition cameras. The image will be detected as a passenger approaches reception so the crew will know their needs, preferences, history with MSC and so on, and so give a much more personalised service without any extra charge. There will also be way-finding around the ship and additional opportunities for families such as locating their children – for a small charge.”
Overall it will provide passengers with over 130 smart features to optimise their vacation. Just walking through the photo gallery, for example, will enable a particular passenger’s photos and videos to be recognised and gathered. Retail will take on a whole new form as a virtual shop will enable a passenger to see what they look like in an outfit without having to try on clothes. Crew members will have personal tablets to enable them to support passenger preferences.
MSC Seaside design
While in Monfalcone for the coin ceremony, Passenger Ship Technology caught up with Maurizio Cergol, Fincantieri’s chief cruise ship designer. Mr Cergol designed the Seaside class concept five years ago, long before the first vessel was contracted, and proposed the design to MSC Cruises. He commented: “Seaside was born by revolution not evolution. You will note that the funnel is in the middle of the vessel which means the engineroom is located in the centre of the ship, which is not usual.”
This has many advantages. For example, “it balances the ship better. The centre of gravity and consequently the centre of buoyancy are in a better configuration for hydrodynamics.” It also means that there are spaces for tanks both fore and aft, so the ship can maintain trim even as bunkers or water are consumed. With a more conventional design, the engineroom is located more aft and the space allocated for the heavy tanks can only be forward, so the bending moment is higher. “This design reduces the bending moment, making the steel structure more efficient with less weight.”
The installation of diesel-electric, as opposed to diesel-mechanical, engines has brought considerable changes. With the latter the engine had to be closer to the propeller, in order to reduce the length of the shaft line. Now it can be midships with the electrical motor aft. This makes the design “more forward” which means rearranging the ship’s configuration, fire bulkheads and passenger spaces. “Because the engine casing is in a different position, all the urbanism had to be rethought, redesigning the passenger flow. We also had to fine-tune the upper decks layout. Because the engine casing and funnel are in the middle, these areas are distributed forward and aft.”
The best part of this innovative design layout, explained Mr Cergol, is the distribution of open decks. Usually, the bigger the tonnage the less open space is available per passenger, because the tonnage is volume while the deck spaces are surface. “Seaside has increased overhanging lower lido decks so has a net increment of open decks without increasing the tonnage. This allows passengers to be closer to the sea, getting maximum enjoyment from the marine environment and the sailing. This is the beauty of putting design first.”
The Seaside design means, most importantly, that it is possible to have open space close to inside space, so that almost every space inside can have an adjacent space outside. For example, a bar can have a counter inside and one outside. Mr Cergol commented: “This is on other ships, too, but is often limited to the top decks. On Seaside it is possible on all the main public decks.”
With an almost 7m wide lower promenade there is the opportunity to do much more with the space, such as having an alfresco dining area. “The main lido buffet is usually located on top of the ship but here it can be on a lower deck.”
Other innovations are the architecture of the aft of the ship which is “very peculiar, vertical and with the feeling of a condominium,” two non-stop panoramic glass elevators directly connecting the lower and upper open decks, and a “breathtaking bridge” – a skywalk – at the top of the ship.
In terms of operation, the design allows direct embarkation to the lifeboats. These are also better protected from the weather.
With Fincantieri extending its facilities beyond Italy, most recently bidding for STX France, the comments of its chief executive Giuseppe Bono were particularly significant. “We are looking to the future in an optimistic way, particularly because we are on schedule for delivering these two ships while maintaining top quality. The second ship, MSC Seaview, comes only six months after MSC Seaside. These are the biggest ships to be built by Fincantieri and in Italy.
“We have set in place very strong teams. The cohesion I have fought for, over and over again, is finally paying dividends. We have employed many people, and are training them and developing them. We diversify our business with the help of our clients, including MSC Cruises.” He added: “Efficiency must be our mantra. The truth is that we need to work well. We need to be able to compete with the rest of the world.”
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