MSC Cruises

MSC Cruises (Italian: MSC Crociere S.p.A.) is a division of Mediterranean Shipping Company S.A. (MSC). MSC is an Italian shipping company devoted to the cruise market with headquarters in Geneva. The company, whose capital is wholly Swiss, employs 15,500 people worldwide and has offices in 45 countries.

Originally founded as Lauro Lines by Achille Lauro, the company entered the cruise business in the 1960s, operating two ships, the Angelina Lauro and MS Achille Lauro, both of which met fiery ends. After the Angelina Lauro burnt in the port of St.Thomas in 1979, Lauro Lines, also known as Flotta Lauro, met with bad times, now operating just one ship, the Achille Lauro. In 1985, the Achille Lauro was hijacked by members of the Palestine Liberation Front, and the much-publicised event further dropped passenger numbers. In 1989, Flotta Lauro was purchased by Mediterranean Shipping Company and renamed StarLauro Cruises.^[1] In 1994, the Achille Lauro caught fire and sank. In 1995, the company name was changed to MSC Cruises.^[1]

MSC Cruises claims to be the third largest cruise operator in the world,^[2] after Carnival Corporation & plc and Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. with a 6% share of all passengers carried and cruise revenue in 2012. Yet, because MSC Cruises has no stakes exchanged on the market, it has no obligations to issue its budget certified by independent parties, which therefore it does not; as a consequence the data MSC Cruises releases about itself are not verifiable.

On March 1, 2010, after strong support from French government, STX Europe and MSC Cruises announced signing a new Letter of Intent to build one, 139,000 ton, 3502 passenger, Fantasia-class ship, which is subject to financing, at STX Europe St-Nazaire.

In 2014 MSC Cruises announced that the four Lirica class ships will undergo renovation under the "Renaissance Program". New features will include a spray park, refurbished shops, new child and teen areas, an enhanced buffet, a new lounge,and an extended restaurant. The work is scheduled to be completed by November 2015.^[3]

Twelve of the twenty-three people who died in the 18 of March 2015 terrorist attack in Tunis were tourists hosted onboard MSC Splendida cruise ship.^[4]

Ships

Lirica class

Ship	Built	Builder	Entered service for MSC	Gross Tonnage	Flag	Notes
MSC Armonia	2001	Chantiers de l'Atlantique(St. Nazaire)	May 2004	65,542 tons	Panama	Previously European Vision for the failed Festival Cruises.
MSC Sinfonia	2002	Chantiers de l'Atlantique(St. Nazaire)	March 2005	65,542 tons	Panama	Previously European Stars for the failed Festival Cruises.
MSC Lirica	2003	Chantiers de l'Atlantique(St. Nazaire)	March 2003	59,058 tons	Panama	Modified ex Festival's European-class.
MSC Opera	2004	Chantiers de l'Atlantique(St. Nazaire)	March 2004	59,058 tons	Panama	Modified ex Festival's European-class.

Musica class

Ship	Built	Builder	Entered service for MSC	Gross Tonnage	Flag	Notes
MSC Musica	2006	Aker Yards(St. Nazaire)	July 2006	92,409 tons	Panama
MSC Orchestra	2007	Aker Yards(St. Nazaire)	May 2007	92,409 tons	Panama
MSC Poesia	2008	Aker Yards(St. Nazaire)	Oct. 2008	92,627 tons	Panama
MSC Magnifica	2010	STX Europe(St. Nazaire)	March 2010	95,128 tons	Panama	Modified Musica-class.

Fantasia class

Ship	Built	Builder	Entered service for MSC	Gross Tonnage	Flag	Notes
MSC Fantasia	2008	Aker Yards(St. Nazaire)	Dec. 2008	137,936 tons	Panama
MSC Splendida	2009	Aker Yards(St. Nazaire)	July 2009	137,936 tons	Panama	Ordered as MSC Serenata and renamed MSC Splendida in 2008.
MSC Divina	2012	STX Europe(St. Nazaire)	June 2012	139,400 tons	Panama	Modified Fantasia-class. Ordered as MSC Meraviglia and renamed MSC Divina in 2010.
MSC Preziosa	align="Center| 2013	STX Europe(St. Nazaire)	March 2013	139,400 tons	Panama	Modified Fantasia-class.Originally ordered for Libyan based General National Maritime Transport.[5]

Future Ships

Ship	Will enter service for MSC	Builder	Gross Tonnage	Flag	Notes
MSC Meraviglia	2017	STX Europe(St. Nazaire)	167,600 tons	Panama	Largest ship to be built for MSC Cruises.[6]
Project Vista II	2019	STX Europe(St. Nazaire)	167,600 tons	Panama	[7]
Project Vista III	2020	STX Europe(St. Nazaire)	167,600 tons	Panama	[8]
Project Vista IV	2022	STX Europe(St. Nazaire)	167,600 tons	Panama	[9]
MSC Seaside	Nov 2017	Fincantieri	154,000 tons	Panama	[10]
Project Seaside II	May 2018	Fincantieri	154,000 tons	Panama	[11]
Project Seaside III	2021	Fincantieri	154,000 tons	Panama	[12]

MSC Orchestra at Istanbul

MSC Magnifica at Amsterdam

MSC Splendida at Lisbon

Former ships

Main working area

• Western Mediterranean: MSC Sinfonia, MSC Lirica, MSC Musica, MSC Splendida
• Eastern Mediterranean: MSC Armonia, MSC Fantasia, MSC Preziosa
• Northern Europe: MSC Opera, MSC Orchestra, MSC Poesia, MSC Magnifica
• Caribbean: MSC Divina

Gallery of Ships

• 

  MSC Armonia

• 

  MSC Sinfonia

• 

  MSC Lirica

• 

  MSC Opera

• 

  MSC Musica

• 

  MSC Orchestra

• 

  MSC Poesia

• 

  MSC Magnifica

• 

  MSC Fantasia

• 

  MSC Splendida

• 

  MSC Divina

• 

  MSC Preziosa

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to MSC Cruises.

• MSC Cruises Corporate Global website
• Lauro Lines, StarLauro and MSC Cruises Information and Postcards at Simplon Postcards