MSC Group’s Cruise Division officially took delivery from Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri of its new flagship MSC Seascape at a ceremony held at Fincantieri’s yard in Monfalcone. The MSC Seascape is the largest and most technologically advanced cruise ship ever built in Italy and features important innovations from an environmental perspective.
The vessel is the 21st to join the MSC Cruises fleet and the fourth to have been built by Fincantieri as part of a €7 billion investment package for 10 ships. The shipyard will also build six new vessels for MSC’s luxury travel brand, Explora Journeys.
MSC Seascape is the second Seaside EVO-class ship, an evolution of the pioneering Seaside class. It joins MSC Seaside and MSC Seaview, which entered service in 2017 and 2018, respectively, and sister ship MSC Seashore delivered in 2021.
The cruise ship measures 339 meters long, 41 meters wide, and 76 meters high and has a gross weight of 170,400 tonnes. The ship has a maximum speed of approx. 21.8 knots (40 km/h) and can accommodate 5,632 guests and 1,648 crew members.
MSC Seascape features state-of-the-art technologies and equipment to minimize the ship’s environmental impact. This includes cutting-edge hybrid exhaust gas cleaning systems (EGCS) and selective catalytic reduction systems (SCR), achieving a 98% reduction of sulfur oxide emissions and reducing nitrogen oxide emissions by 90%. At the same time, an advanced wastewater treatment system delivers purified water, achieving higher purification standards than most wastewater treatment plants ashore.
MSC Seascape has been designated “Green Plus,” the highest-level additional notation in environmental sustainability issued by the RINA certification body. The notation recognizes design solutions, onboard equipment, and operational procedures voluntarily implemented – both during construction and during the ship‘s operation – aimed at improving environmental performance beyond the minimum levels required by applicable international regulations.
In addition, it offers a range of brand-new features, venues, and experiences for guests, as 65% of the public areas have been reimagined to take the guest experience to a new level. In addition, the ship offers 13,000 square meters of outdoor space, with a wide array of outdoor bars and dining, swimming pools, and areas for relaxing and sunbathing, as well as different vantage points to take in striking views of the sea.
Following the ship’s official naming ceremony on 7 December in New York, MSC Seascape will represent ‘Made in Italy’ excellence in the Caribbean, offering weekly sailings from Miami.
