MSC Cruises News
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MSC Cruises Has Just Posted the Following:
This morning, MSC Cruises officially took delivery of its new ship MSC Magnifica from the STX Europe shipyard at Saint-Nazaire (France).
In the traditional "flag ceremony", the shipyard‟s pennant and the French flag were first lowered, accompanied by the French national anthem, before Jacques Hardelay, General Manager of STX Europe, formally handed the ship over to MSC Cruises shipowner Gianluigi Aponte. Mr Aponte then gave command of the ship to Captain Giuliano Bossi, and the flags of Italy and MSC Cruises were raised to the sound of the Italian national anthem.
The honour of cutting the ribbon fell to MSC vice-president Mrs Alexa Aponte Vago, daughter of Mr Aponte and wife of MSC Cruises CEO Pierfrancesco Vago, who was also in attendance, as was the Manager of MSC Croisière France & Belux Erminio Eschena. After the traditional breaking of a bottle of champagne, three blasts from the ship‟s siren signalled the end of the ceremony.
On behalf of MSC Cruises, CEO Pierfrancesco Vago said: "We are delighted and proud to take delivery of this magnificent new ship, bringing the MSC Crociere fleet to 11 units. Our capacity has increased 10 times in just 7 years to reach 1,200,000 passengers in 2010, an unprecedented rate of growth," he continued. "But our growth is not just a question of numbers. MSC Crociere has earned worldwide recognition for its industry-leading innovations in ship design, and MSC Magnifica is the perfect demonstration. Based on a tried and tested model, she introduces previously unseen levels of sophistication and comfort, and does so in total respect for the highest environmental standards."
In his speech, STX Europe's General Manager Jacques Hardelay said: "We are honoured that STX France has once again contributed to the growth of the most modern cruise fleet. MSC Magnifica brightly displays the know-how and constant improvement capacity of both the STX France SA's teams and our partners. This new cruise ship illustrates the excellent and exceptional collaboration between Saint-Nazaire and MSC Crociere teams."
MSC Magnifica is the eleventh ship in the fleet. 293.8m long, 59.4m tall, 32m wide, and capable of carrying over 3000 guests, her elegant design is once again the work of award-winning naval architects De Jorio Design International. With respect to her sister vessels in the „Musica‟ class, her 22,000 square metres of public areas contain numerous innovations, from the Magrodome sliding roof over one of the pools to the 10-pin bowling, vintage billiard room and interactive 4D cinema.
After an inaugural visit to Southampton dedicated to the UK market next weekend, MSC Magnifica will begin her pre-christening cruise from Saint-Nazaire on Monday 1st March, calling at Cherbourg (Tue 2nd), Dover (Wed 3rd) and Amsterdam (Thu 4th) before reaching the port of Hamburg (Fri 5th) for the official christening ceremony on Saturday 6th March.
This grand event will be attended by an array of show business stars, including UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador and international singing sensation Nana Mouskouri, world-famous Italian singer-songwriter Eros Ramazzotti and platinum-selling German artist Sasha.
Of course, the heart of the event will be the cutting of the ribbon and the naming of the ship by screen legend Sophia Loren, to a crescendo of champagne and fireworks.
The christening ceremony can be enjoyed not only by those in Hamburg - onboard and ashore on two giant floating screens in the beautiful Landungsbrucken area of the harbour - but also by online spectators around the world on MSC TV.
Click here to view the article.
This morning, MSC Cruises officially took delivery of its new ship MSC Magnifica from the STX Europe shipyard at Saint-Nazaire (France).
In the traditional "flag ceremony", the shipyard‟s pennant and the French flag were first lowered, accompanied by the French national anthem, before Jacques Hardelay, General Manager of STX Europe, formally handed the ship over to MSC Cruises shipowner Gianluigi Aponte. Mr Aponte then gave command of the ship to Captain Giuliano Bossi, and the flags of Italy and MSC Cruises were raised to the sound of the Italian national anthem.
The honour of cutting the ribbon fell to MSC vice-president Mrs Alexa Aponte Vago, daughter of Mr Aponte and wife of MSC Cruises CEO Pierfrancesco Vago, who was also in attendance, as was the Manager of MSC Croisière France & Belux Erminio Eschena. After the traditional breaking of a bottle of champagne, three blasts from the ship‟s siren signalled the end of the ceremony.
On behalf of MSC Cruises, CEO Pierfrancesco Vago said: "We are delighted and proud to take delivery of this magnificent new ship, bringing the MSC Crociere fleet to 11 units. Our capacity has increased 10 times in just 7 years to reach 1,200,000 passengers in 2010, an unprecedented rate of growth," he continued. "But our growth is not just a question of numbers. MSC Crociere has earned worldwide recognition for its industry-leading innovations in ship design, and MSC Magnifica is the perfect demonstration. Based on a tried and tested model, she introduces previously unseen levels of sophistication and comfort, and does so in total respect for the highest environmental standards."
In his speech, STX Europe's General Manager Jacques Hardelay said: "We are honoured that STX France has once again contributed to the growth of the most modern cruise fleet. MSC Magnifica brightly displays the know-how and constant improvement capacity of both the STX France SA's teams and our partners. This new cruise ship illustrates the excellent and exceptional collaboration between Saint-Nazaire and MSC Crociere teams."
MSC Magnifica is the eleventh ship in the fleet. 293.8m long, 59.4m tall, 32m wide, and capable of carrying over 3000 guests, her elegant design is once again the work of award-winning naval architects De Jorio Design International. With respect to her sister vessels in the „Musica‟ class, her 22,000 square metres of public areas contain numerous innovations, from the Magrodome sliding roof over one of the pools to the 10-pin bowling, vintage billiard room and interactive 4D cinema.
After an inaugural visit to Southampton dedicated to the UK market next weekend, MSC Magnifica will begin her pre-christening cruise from Saint-Nazaire on Monday 1st March, calling at Cherbourg (Tue 2nd), Dover (Wed 3rd) and Amsterdam (Thu 4th) before reaching the port of Hamburg (Fri 5th) for the official christening ceremony on Saturday 6th March.
This grand event will be attended by an array of show business stars, including UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador and international singing sensation Nana Mouskouri, world-famous Italian singer-songwriter Eros Ramazzotti and platinum-selling German artist Sasha.
Of course, the heart of the event will be the cutting of the ribbon and the naming of the ship by screen legend Sophia Loren, to a crescendo of champagne and fireworks.
The christening ceremony can be enjoyed not only by those in Hamburg - onboard and ashore on two giant floating screens in the beautiful Landungsbrucken area of the harbour - but also by online spectators around the world on MSC TV.
Click here to view the article.