Gianni Onorato tells us about the company’s impressive €9 billion expansion plan to 2026
This article was first published in the Spring/Summer 2017 issue of International Cruise & Ferry Review. All information was correct at the time of printing, but may since have changed.
MSC will take delivery of 11 newbuilds between 2017 and 2026, including four LNG-powered World Class ships and six confirmed orders: two Seaside Class, two Meraviglia Class and two Meraviglia Plus Class vessels. Two vessels will be delivered in 2017 – MSC Meraviglia in June and MSC Seaside in late November – and will be followed by MSC Seaview in May 2018, MSC Bellissima in February 2019 and the first, as-yet-unnamed Meraviglia Plus class ship later in the year.
“We’re very excited about the new ships, which represent two totally different prototypes and should allow MSC to cover the wide range of regions we operate in,” says Gianni Onorato, MSC Cruises’ chief executive.
MSC’s newbuild programme has now been established as far as type of ships and amenities are concerned, barring the World Class series which is still on the drawing board with a detailed general arrangement plan to be revealed this year. The new series will be in the 200,000gt range with about 2,700 cabins and will offer MSC’s first LNG-powered ships.
One consideration will be which ports are equipped with the right facilities to handle LNG-fuelled cruise ships. The other will be how to manage LNG onboard to meet safety requirements while being as efficient as possible in terms of the space required to accommodate it.
When the new ships launch, MSC will have the right tools to follow its strategy of growing and consolidating its position in its primary markets – Europe, America and South Africa. For example, it will further develop the UK market by homeporting one ship in Southampton for summer 2018. “The UK market is strong, but MSC’s presence has been at a low level to date,” says Onorato.
The additional ships will also allow MSC to extend its presence in the Caribbean and North American market, and give it the flexibility to move MSC Splendida to Shanghai, China in May 2018, where she will join MSC Lirica.
“We have been marketing Caribbean cruises, including Cuba, to UK passengers and our winter cruises are proving attractive to passengers from India and China,” Onorato comments. “This is the kind of strategy MSC wishes to pursue to grow the company.”
For destinations like Cuba, MSC will be considering which charter operations are serving the country as it develops its cruise offering there. “More and more airlines are starting to look at Cuba,” says Onorato.
Other new cruise destinations for 2017 include growing destinations in the Mediterranean that have only been visited on an occasional basis, like Sardinia, and unusually, Saranda in Albania. After investigating the possibility of operating a larger ship in Albania, the line has opted to deploy MSC Poesia there from April 2017.
“The spike in bookings since MSC decided to introduce port calls in Saranda is proof that customers are much better educated than we are,” comments Onorato, adding that there are two UNESCO World Heritage sites and beaches closes to Saranda. “It is very well positioned for our seven-day itinerary out of Venice.”
Sir Bani Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, will also be a new port of call. The line has a preferential arrangement with Abu Dhabi Port Authority and tourism department for Sir Bani Yas because it cooperated with the organisations to design the facilities and committed to having ships visit. Certainly, says Onorato, the global political situation has not affected destinations like Dubai, although nationalities view things differently in terms of foreign travel.
“MSC has also found a very good level of cooperation in destinations like Qatar,” says Onorato, explaining that the line offers a 14-day cruise that takes in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sir Bani Yas Island, but also destinations like Bahrain and Qatar.
MSC has another onshore project, the 95-acre Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve, located in the Bahamas which is totally different. The island will have sports facilities, an amphitheatre, dining venues, a spa and wellness sanctuary, beaches and more. Onorato admits that while MSC underestimated the complexity of the project at the start, the line is very excited by the project. “the island is easy to access and becomes part of the ship,” he says.
Sand has been laid to sculpt the island to the desired dimensions. The target is for work to be completed by October 2018 and the project is on schedule. One of the key selling points for the project is that it is probably the only island owned and managed by a cruise line that can be used for both Western and Eastern Caribbean itineraries. “The location is unique,” comments Onorato.
Enhancing the onboard experience on its ships is also a key priority, so MSC has formed several exclusive partnerships with brands such as global hairstyling company Jean Louis David and children’s toy manufacturer LEGO. “Our strategy has been very simple: MSC is a private family-run cruise company and has always tried to do everything in house so we have full control over everything we’re doing,” Onorato explains. “However, we have to be humble and not think we can be the best in everything we do. A big ship means a rich ship in terms of both amenities and product offers, and to do that, we need to involve the professionals.”
The line has also joined with technology giant Samsung. As part of this partnership, Samsung will install 3D mirrors on the Meraviglia class vessels to enhance the shopping experience by allowing passengers to see themselves wearing clothes in 3D, without actually having to try them on.
“The new ships will be smart ships,” remarks Onorato. “We are trying to apply Samsung’s technology for safety purposes, as well as for enriching our guest experience. For example, we will offer a ‘kids locator’ which allows parents to use their smartphone to locate their children on the ship. This technology is also being introduced to help people navigate the vessel.”
As far as the new environmental regulations are concerned, Onorato says all the ships are being retrofitted with scrubbers to meet the 2020 global sulphur cap requirements. Scrubbers have been installed by Fincantieri in cooperation with STX France in Saint-Nazaire where all the existing fleet was built.