Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri has handed over MSC Seascape to MSC Cruises at a ceremony held at Fincantieri’s yard in Monfalcone.
MSC Seascape is the second ship of the Seaside EVO class, an evolution of the Seaside class and joins the sister ships MSC Seaside and MSC Seaview, which entered service in 2017 and 2018 respectively, and the sister ship MSC Seashore, delivered in 2021.
It is the 21st to join the MSC Cruises fleet and the fourth to have been built by Fincantieri as part of a €7 billion investment package for 10 vessels.
Pierroberto Folgiero, CEO of Fincantieri, said that the delivery was extremely important for the company as deadlines were met despite the unprecedented difficulties stemming from the pandemic. Furthermore, the ship is the embodiment of technological innovation, standing at the forefront in terms of environmental sustainability.
“ By virtue of all this, we look with optimism to the future of the sector, aiming to remain a leader also thanks to a consolidated and ambitious partnership we have with MSC,” he noted.
The vessel spans a length of 339 meters, a width of 41 meters, and a height of 76 meters. The 170, 400-tonne ship can accommodate 5,632 guests and 1,648 crew members. The ship’s construction is estimated to have been worth € 1 billion.
MSC Seascape’s environmental features include selective catalytic reduction systems on each of the vessel’s four Wartsila 14V 46F engines to reduce nitrogen oxide emissions by 90% by converting the gas into harmless nitrogen.
The new design also incorporates water and hybrid exhaust gas cleaning systems expected to remove 98% of sulphur oxide from ship emissions, the company claims.
Furthermore, the vessel has wastewater treatment, waste management systems, and ballast water treatment systems approved by the United States Coast Guard.
The ship is also fitted with an underwater radiated noise management system which is expected to reduce the potential effects on marine animals, according to MSC Cruises.
The ship features systems for the prevention of oil discharges from machinery spaces, heat recovery systems, and LED lighting.
MSC Seascape has received the “Green Plus” notation from the certification company RINA, which is the highest level additional notation in the field of environmental sustainability.
The delivery comes on the back of successful sea trials completed in August this year.
The naming ceremony for MSC Seascape is scheduled to take place in New York on December 7, 2022, at the Manhattan Cruise Terminal.