MSC Cruises, the Geneva based cruise shipping company and the French shipbuilder Chantiers de l’Atlantique have signed firm contracts for construction of third and fourth LNG-powered MSC World Class ships, the cruise line said in a statement.
These 205,700 gross ton vessels will be delivered in 2025 and 2027, respectively. The first of the initial two ships in the class is currently under construction at Chantiers’ shipyard in Saint- Nazaire and is due to enter service in 2022.
The ship will become the biggest vessel operated by a European cruise line as well as the first LNG-powered cruise ship built in France. “Compared to standard marine fuel, LNG combined with saving measures decreases sulphur emissions and particulate matter by 99%, NOx emissions by 85%, and CO2 emissions by 25%,’ MSC Cruises said..
These contracts represent a capital investment by MSC Cruises exceeding €2 billion and are expected to generate with the shipyard and its suppliers 14 million additional working hours, amounting to over 2,400 full-time equivalent jobs for the next three and a half years, directly supported by those orders.
“Today’s signature also allows Chantiers de l’Atlantique to start working with the hundreds of suppliers and subcontractors involved in the projects, setting in motion a new cycle that will greatly benefit the French economy,” the company said.
