MSC Cruises celebrated over the weekend the launching of its MSC Virtuosa at Chantiers de l'Atlantique (Saint-Nazaire, France).
The launch followed the successful delivery of MSC Grandiosa on October 31, as well as the steel-cutting ceremony of MSC Europa, the first of the company's 5 LNG ships, that was held the same day.
MSC Virtuosa will be the 2nd Meraviglia-Plus ship, after MSC Grandiosa, and will be placed in dry dock to complete construction until it is delivered in October next year. Virtuosa is MSC's 6th new vessel to be commissioned (since 2017) and fleet's second to have Selective Catalytic Reduction and Advanced Wastewater Treatment systems. Virtuosa will also have shorepower connectivity.
The maiden voyage of MSC Virtuosa will take place in the western Mediterranean in November 2020, departing from homeport Genoa. After her winter season in the Mediterranean, she will be deployed in Northern Europe during the summer of 2021 on routes around the Norwegian fjords and Baltic capitals.