MSC Cruises News
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MSC Cruises Has Just Posted the Following:
ST. NAZAIRE, 21 JULY 2008 - A momentous floating-out ceremony took place yesterday at the Aker Yards in St. Nazaire, France. At 06:45, accompanied by a fleet of eight tugboats, MSC Splendida, the newest addition to the MSC Cruises fleet, was floated out.
At the end of the ceremony (which lasted about an hour), this giant of the seas moored at dock a half-mile away, where she will remain until her construction has been completed.
Today Pierfrancesco Vago, MSC Cruises CEO and Jacques Hardelay, Managing Director of Aker Yards France, accompanied their guests to visit MSC Splendida's engine room and then to attend MSC Fantasia's sea trials.
MSC Splendida and sister ship, MSC Fantasia,are the two largest ships to be built by a European shipowner. Both will be 133,500 tonnes, six times as tall as the Tower of Pisa and equivalent to a 23-storey building. Each will have 1,637 cabins able to accommodate 3,274 passengers (on a double-occupancy basis) and 27,000 square metres of public areas, including a theatre with seating for 1,649 plus the wellbeing centre, MSC Aurea Spameasuring 1,615 square metres. Additionally, these ships will have 4 restaurants and 2 buffet areas, 4 pools, 12 whirpools, a Sports Bar, a Jazz Bar, shops, a casino, a disco, a Formula 1 simulator, a 4D cinema, a squash court and a children's and teenager's area of 400 square metres with a pool, waterslide and dedicated teenagers' disco.
These two ships will herald a new era for cruises by introducing MSC Yacht Club, a VIP areawith 99 elegant suites, dedicated butlers and communal spaces furnished to the highest standards. While the countdown to MSC Fantasia'slaunch has already started (christening is set for 18 December 2008 in Naples), MSC Splendida will be christened in Barcelona during the summer of 2009.
"The floating-out ceremony for MSC Splendida confirms our commitment to increasing our fleet and this is the fourth time we have visited Saint Nazaire in 2008," saidPierfrancesco Vago, MSC Cruises CEO. "MSC Splendida is the sister ship to MSC Fantasia, which is joining the fleet in six months' time. Then, six months later, her twin - MSC Splendida - will also join the fleet. These two ships will be the most beautiful in the world. They are the first in the fleet to offer an exclusive VIP area - the MSC Yacht Club - plus an elegant wellbeing centre, the Aurea Spa. Both will be at the forefront of environmental protection, including an innovative water-treatment process and energy-efficient technology. MSC Splendida, just like her twin, represents the fulfilment of a product that has a year round appeal; for example both ships will be equipped with an advanced system that allows the pool area to be used during the winter season, too."
"Three MSC Cruises ships are currently under construction at Aker Yards in Saint-Nazaire. These vessels are the concrete expression of about 10 years of partnership between both our companies," added Jacques Hardelay, Managing Director of Aker Yards France. "MSC Fantasia and MSC Splendida bring together the state-of-the-art equipment in terms of technologies, aesthetics and environmental concerns. The men and women of Aker Yards are proud to build these ships, which will fly the MSC Cruises flag aloft on the world's oceans."
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ST. NAZAIRE, 21 JULY 2008 - A momentous floating-out ceremony took place yesterday at the Aker Yards in St. Nazaire, France. At 06:45, accompanied by a fleet of eight tugboats, MSC Splendida, the newest addition to the MSC Cruises fleet, was floated out.
At the end of the ceremony (which lasted about an hour), this giant of the seas moored at dock a half-mile away, where she will remain until her construction has been completed.
Today Pierfrancesco Vago, MSC Cruises CEO and Jacques Hardelay, Managing Director of Aker Yards France, accompanied their guests to visit MSC Splendida's engine room and then to attend MSC Fantasia's sea trials.
MSC Splendida and sister ship, MSC Fantasia,are the two largest ships to be built by a European shipowner. Both will be 133,500 tonnes, six times as tall as the Tower of Pisa and equivalent to a 23-storey building. Each will have 1,637 cabins able to accommodate 3,274 passengers (on a double-occupancy basis) and 27,000 square metres of public areas, including a theatre with seating for 1,649 plus the wellbeing centre, MSC Aurea Spameasuring 1,615 square metres. Additionally, these ships will have 4 restaurants and 2 buffet areas, 4 pools, 12 whirpools, a Sports Bar, a Jazz Bar, shops, a casino, a disco, a Formula 1 simulator, a 4D cinema, a squash court and a children's and teenager's area of 400 square metres with a pool, waterslide and dedicated teenagers' disco.
These two ships will herald a new era for cruises by introducing MSC Yacht Club, a VIP areawith 99 elegant suites, dedicated butlers and communal spaces furnished to the highest standards. While the countdown to MSC Fantasia'slaunch has already started (christening is set for 18 December 2008 in Naples), MSC Splendida will be christened in Barcelona during the summer of 2009.
"The floating-out ceremony for MSC Splendida confirms our commitment to increasing our fleet and this is the fourth time we have visited Saint Nazaire in 2008," saidPierfrancesco Vago, MSC Cruises CEO. "MSC Splendida is the sister ship to MSC Fantasia, which is joining the fleet in six months' time. Then, six months later, her twin - MSC Splendida - will also join the fleet. These two ships will be the most beautiful in the world. They are the first in the fleet to offer an exclusive VIP area - the MSC Yacht Club - plus an elegant wellbeing centre, the Aurea Spa. Both will be at the forefront of environmental protection, including an innovative water-treatment process and energy-efficient technology. MSC Splendida, just like her twin, represents the fulfilment of a product that has a year round appeal; for example both ships will be equipped with an advanced system that allows the pool area to be used during the winter season, too."
"Three MSC Cruises ships are currently under construction at Aker Yards in Saint-Nazaire. These vessels are the concrete expression of about 10 years of partnership between both our companies," added Jacques Hardelay, Managing Director of Aker Yards France. "MSC Fantasia and MSC Splendida bring together the state-of-the-art equipment in terms of technologies, aesthetics and environmental concerns. The men and women of Aker Yards are proud to build these ships, which will fly the MSC Cruises flag aloft on the world's oceans."
Click here to view the article.
