Italy’s Fincantieri shipyard in Monfalcone Italy cut the first piece of steel for MSC Cruises’ new Seaside class vessel MSC Seaside during a special ceremony on 22 June, in front of around 100 invited media and other guests. MSC Cruises’ executive chairman, Pierfrancesco Vago, and CEO Gianni Onorato joined Fincantieri’s CEO, Giuseppe Bono, to mark the occasion.
Ordered in 2014 and part of MSC’s €5.1 billion expansion plan, MSC Seaside will be the first of two new Seaside class ships. The ships will be the largest cruise ships ever built at Fincantieri’s Monfalcone yard.
The 154,000gt Seaside-class ships will be able to accommodate up to 4,140 guests at double capacity, and will offer 43,500m2 of public areas. The ships will have a sea-level promenade around both sides of the ship with outdoor spaces, shops and restaurants.
They will also feature a theatre, a terraced balcony, panoramic lifts with sea views, interconnecting cabins for groups of up to ten, and a kids-only restaurant. The ships will have an interactive, multi-storey aqua park with five slides, and an MSC Yacht Club with private sundeck, lounge and pool.