Cruising New Magazine April 2019 April 2019 Edition | Page 30

An Incredible 4 Day Adventure – Part 1
After a long flight from Brisbane to
Paris via Dubai and an over-night in
Paris it was an early start next morning
to catch the fast train to Nantes and
bus it to the Chantiers de l’Atlantique
shipyard in Saint-Nazaire to commence
an incredible four day adventure on
MSC Bellissima.
After a quick check-in dockside and
receiving a personal greeting from
Pierfrancesco Vago, MSC Cruises’
Executive Chairman, I joined this most
welcoming ship, so new and inviting
and my home for the next four days.
With three Meraviglia generation
ships under simultaneous construction
at the shipyard in Saint-Nazaire, the
two parties, the cruise company
and the shipyard, marked a double
celebration, with MSC Virtuosa’s
Coin Ceremony. The Coin Ceremony
takes place at the early stages of
construction of a newbuild, when the
keel is laid. Due to be delivered in
November 2020, she will become the
fourth Meraviglia Class ship in MSC
Cruises’ fleet and the second of three
Meraviglia-Plus ships, a larger and
enriched version of the Meraviglia
prototype with an increased number
of cabins, more public space and
additional features. Tradition dictates
that two long-standing employees
from the shipyard and the ship owner
act as godmothers, placing two coins
under the new ship’s keel block as a
sign of blessing and good fortune. This
time Elise Guérin, Project Manager,
Chantiers de l’Atlantique and Helen
Huang, President, Greater China, MSC
Cruises had the honour of performing
this traditional task.
Following an enjoyable lunch I
attended the delivery of MSC Bellissima
from Chantiers de l’Atlantique which
took place in the presence of Gianluigi
Aponte, MSC Group’s Founder and
Executive Chairman. Also present
were Pierfrancesco Vago, Executive
Chairman, MSC Cruises, Laurent
Castaing, General Manager, Chantiers
de l’Atlantique, as well as other
regional and local authorities and
dignitaries.
Gianluigi Aponte, Executive Chairman,
MSC Group & Laurent Castaing,
Chantiers de l'Atlantique General
Manager
Pierfrancesco Vago, MSC Cruises’
Executive Chairman, said: “The delivery
marks another chapter in the story
of our partnership with Chantiers de
l’Atlantique. Together we have already
brought to life 14 highly-innovative
cruise ships, paving the way for our
Company’s initial growth. Many more
will be built together over the coming
years to further deepen the reach of
our fleet. Furthermore, MSC Bellissima’s
elegance and beauty, as well as focus
on the best and latest maritime and
environmental technology at sea, bear
testament to our restless pursuit for
innovation.”
Laurent Castaing, Chantiers de
l’Atlantique’s General Manager, said:
“This new outstanding ship is another
evidence of the quality of the long-
term partnership we have established
between MSC Cruises and Chantiers
de l’Atlantique during these last twenty
years. We bring each time all our
expertise and innovation capability
to deserve the confidence of our
customers: this is a real success story for
our two companies.”
As other ships in MSC Cruises’ fleet,
MSC Bellissima pushes the boundaries
of ship building and design. Bearing
testament to the Company’s
commitment to protect the
environment, she has been equipped
with some of the latest environmental
technologies available. These include,
amongst others, a cutting-edge
exhaust gas cleaning system, an
advanced wastewater treatment
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plant, systems for the prevention of oil
discharge from machinery spaces, a
ballast water treatment system, and
various energy-saving improvements
– from heat recovery systems to LED
lighting.
MSC Bellissima is also equipped with
cutting-edge guest technology. She
is the first MSC Cruises ship to feature
ZOE, the world’s first virtual personal
cruise assistant. The voice-enabled
virtual personal assistant is found in
every cabin and can answer hundreds
of questions about the cruise.
As part of MSC Cruises’
unprecedented new builds program,
another 13 next-generation cruise ships
are due to join its fleet by 2027. These
include four World Class mega cruise
ships capable of welcoming nearly
7,000 guests as well as four smaller ships
that will serve the ultra-luxury segment.
MSC Bellissima is the second Meraviglia
Class ship to join MSC Cruises’ fleet. As
MSC Meraviglia, she is the ship for all
seasons, with plenty of outdoor and
indoor public spaces. With a length of
just 315 metres, she has been designed
to be able to access most of the
world’s cruise ports.
During the evening MSC Bellissima set
sail towards Southampton, UK, where
her Naming Ceremony was set for 2
March. This gave me and 800 others
the opportunity to enjoy and explore
this magnificent new vessel.
THE NEXT MSC SHIP
MSC Grandiosa at the Chantiers de
l’Atlantique shipyard in Saint-Nazaire
in its final stages of construction before
delivery in November this year.