More big ship moves: MSC joins cruise lines in orders two more World-class ships

• MSC has become the latest cruise line to announce an order for more megaships.
• It will add two World-class ships to its fleet, which carry nearly 7000 passengers.
• This joins recent announcements from other major lines that they also plan to bolster their fleets.

Across the cruise industry, we’ve seen Royal Caribbean rolling out big ship after big ship, with Carnival and NCL close behind. MSC announced it will be building two more World-class ships.

This massive class of ship can accommodate 6774 passengers. The new vessels will launch in 2029 and 2030

MSC already has four ships of this size, with MSC World Europa, MSC World America, MSC World Asia, and MSC World Atlantic. 

MSC notably doesn’t sail out of Australia, with ships only occasionally stopping as part of a larger cruise. It was previously floated that MSC Asia could operate some cruises out of Australia, but it has not come to fruition.

Pierfrancesco Vago, Executive Chairman, MSC Cruises said: “The confirmation of the orders for the two new World Class ships marks a new milestone in our remarkable journey of shipbuilding in France and the continuation of our long-term industrial plan.

“This milestone underscores our commitment to building some of the highest performing ships in the world, creating a legacy of excellence and innovation in collaboration with the Chantiers de l’Atlantique – our long-term partners of more than 20 years.”

Laurent Castaing, General Manager, Chantiers de l’Atlantique said: “It is the synergy of our two companies’ expertise that has led to the creation of this high-potential World Class series, meeting the challenges both in terms of passenger experience and environmental performance.

“World Class V and VI mark a milestone in the history of the cruise industry, with the best energy efficiency.”

New fuel sources

The World-class ships of MSC are known for their fuel efficiency and are already equipped for bio and synthetic LNG fuel sources. 

MSC will look to build on this with newly designed dual-fuel internal combustion engines that work to reduce methane waste. 

Furthermore, the ships will have shore power capabilities, improved wastewater infrastructure, and more onboard energy-reduction initiatives. 

Big ship moves 

• Royal Caribbean will debut Star of the Seas in 2025, Legend of the Seas in 2026, and a third and fourth Icon-class ship are expected to enter the fleet in 2026 and 2027.
• Carnival is going to build three new massive ships, carrying nearly 8000 guests each, set to enter service in 2029, 20231 and 20233. 
• Norwegian Cruise Line is building four new megaships, to be delivered to the cruise line between 2030 and 2036, each carrying up to 8300 guests.
• Disney Cruise Line’s largest ship by far, Disney Adventure, which can carry up to 6700 passengers, will enter service later this year.