The first steel of MSC Explora 2, the second of 4 newbuilds that Fincantieri Italy is building for MSC Explora Journeys (new travel brand / division of MSC Group), was cut on Wednesday, October 6, at the Castellammare di Stabia (Naples) shipyard.
The order for this class of cruise ships announced back in 2018, is worth a total of 2+ billion euros.
The sistership Explora 1 is currently under construction in Monfalcone, while Explora 2 will be built at Genoa's Sestri Ponente shipyard, with deliveries respectively scheduled for 2023 and 2024.
Attending the event were Pierfrancesco Vago (MSC Cruises' Executive Chairman), Michael Ungerer (MSC Explora Journeys' CEO) and Luigi Matarazzo (Fincantieri's General Manager Merchant Ships).
Each of these boats will have GT-tonnage (volume) ~64,000 tons and will feature the latest maritime technologies available. Each equipped with 461 passenger staterooms, they will showcase a highly innovative design.
MSC EXPLORA-class ship design incorporates provisions for battery storage (allowing energy generation by a hybrid powerplant) as well as the latest SCR (Selective Catalytic Reduction/aka wet scrubbers) technology for reducing NOx emissions by 90%. The ships are fitted with shoreside power connectivity (for eliminating CO emissions while port-berthed) and marine diesel engines running on LSFO (low sulfur fuel oil).
The 4 newbuilds will be RINA-certified (by RINA DOLPHIN) for reducing underwater noise and vibrations. By MSC's sustainable policies, single-use plastics are not used both on the ships and ashore.