MSC Cruises Orders Additional LNG-Powered Cruise Ship

MSC Cruises and STX France have signed an order for the construction of a fifth Meraviglia class cruise ship that will be equipped with a new generation of dual-fuel engines designed to run on LNG.

This announcement was made at a ceremony held at the Saint-Nazaire shipyard, where for the first time in shipyard’s history, three cruise ships belonging to a single cruise brand are under simultaneous construction at the shipyard.

“Our fifth Meraviglia class cruise ship will bring a new generation of cutting-edge environmental technology to the market, benefiting from a new generation of LNG-powered engines,” said Pierfrancesco Vago, MSC Cruises’ Executive Chairman. “This will help us further reduce our environmental footprint and advance in our journey of constant improvement. She will be joined at sea by up to four World Class LNG-powered ships, as part of our overall commitment to environmental stewardship through this and other next-generation technologies and solutions deployed fleet-wide.”

The agreement for the additional Meraviglia-Plus ship represents an additional investment of more than $1 billion. The ship is expected to be delivered in 2023.