MSC Cruises has officially confirmed an order for two new World Class ships with the Chantiers de l’Atlantique shipyard in France. The ships will temporarily be named World Class 7 and World Class 8 until their official names are announced.
The order was announced today, and it’s a pretty big deal. MSC Cruises has been called the fastest growing cruise line, and it seems the company is not slowing down any time soon.
This new and popular series is the largest class in MSC Cruises’ fleet and will put the cruise line at 29 ships when the vessels are delivered. This not only rivals but matches the total ship count for Carnival Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean currently.
Ship Delivery Schedule
World Class 7 and 8 are scheduled to launch in 2030 and 2031. Construction of these ships is scheduled to begin in 2029. This addition of two more ships builds upon recent orders of World Class 5 and 6, which will enter service in 2029 and 2030.
MSC Cruises currently operates two World Class vessels, which are MSC World Europa (launched in 2022) and MSC World America (launched in 2025).
MSC World Asia (coming in 2026) and MSC World Atlantic (coming in 2027) are currently under construction.
About the Ships
These World Class ships are some of the largest cruise ships in the industry. In fact, Royal Caribbean’s Icon class and Oasis class are the only ships larger in terms of volume with gross tonnage numbers of 248,000 and about 236,000 gross tons respectively.
MSC World Europa and MSC World America have a gross tonnage of around 216,000 and can accommodate up to 6,700 passengers along with about 2,100 crew members on each vessel.
When all eight World Class ships are operating, they will be able to carry over 54,000 passengers at maximum capacity. Of course, most ships operate closer to double-capacity which is around 5,231 passengers on this class.
A key feature of all MSC World Class ships is their LNG propulsion system, which is designed to reduce CO2 emissions and minimize environmental impact.
Recent Milestones
The announcement was made during major construction milestones for MSC World Asia, which had her float out today, and MSC World Atlantic, which celebrated a traditional maritime coin ceremony as part of its hull construction.
Executive Chairman of MSC Group, Pierfrancesco Vago, stated that the World Class ships are to set the future standards for the company.
“We mark a proud moment today for MSC Cruises and Chantiers de l’Atlantique as we celebrate important milestones for our future – the float out of MSC World Asia, the coin ceremony of MSC World Atlantic and the order of two new ships. The World Class platform is a symbol of our vision to set new standards for the future of cruising. These are some of the most energy efficient ships in the world and we continue our commitment to LNG, ensuring we are ready for future renewable fuels. We look forward to continuing with our innovative and successful collaboration with Chantiers de L’Atlantique – our long-term partner for more than 20 years,” Vago said.
Investments
With these two new ship orders, MSC Cruises has invested a total of €10.5 billion (about $12 billion USD) in the World Class series. This shows a lot of confidence in the company’s flagship series, based on positive feedback from cruisers worldwide.
Lynn Torrent, President of MSC Cruises North America, said it was an “honor to bring MSC World Atlantic to life.”
“This ship will build on everything our guests and travel partners love about MSC World America, which has been sailing from Miami since April. We are already planning new spaces and experiences on board that are designed to elevate our blend of European style and American comfort, and we can’t wait to reveal them,” she stated.
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