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quote:New orders for MSC?April 3, 2008 MSC Poesia's delivery at Aker Yards in St Nazaire where three other MSC ships are being built for delivery within the next two years - Fantasia in November, Splendida in 2009 and Magnifica in 2010 - raises the question of next newbuilds and the future of MSC Rhapsody and Melody, the company's oldest and smallest ships.‘As for the latter, they are loved by many repeaters,’ commented ceo Pierfrancesco Vago. ‘This year, Rhapsody offers a very nice route, with calls at small ports like Portofino, Salerno, Porto Cervo...this is a good reason to keep her, all the more as her itineraries are set until 2010,’ he advised.‘Moreover, both ships are well maintained, so we don’t plan to take them out of the fleet before that date. We are also thinking about new itineraries in the Middle East,’ Vago confirmed.‘We have been growing very fast. By 2010, we'll have increased our lower berth capacity seven-fold, which will amount to 25,000. Within eight years, the number of passengers which reached 126,000 in 2003 will have increased nine-fold, topping one million in 2009/2010,’ said Vago.What about more newbuilds, asked Seatrade Insider? ‘We are planning projects after 2010 and are negotiating for other ships, though nothing has been confirmed yet,’ he added. ‘The Fantasia class will stay in the Med year-round. The Musica class will sail also in the Caribbean and South America. So we might need another type of ship for both winter and summer, maybe an adapted version of the Fantasia class,’ he disclosed. Seatrade Insider
MSC Poesia's delivery at Aker Yards in St Nazaire where three other MSC ships are being built for delivery within the next two years - Fantasia in November, Splendida in 2009 and Magnifica in 2010 - raises the question of next newbuilds and the future of MSC Rhapsody and Melody, the company's oldest and smallest ships.
‘As for the latter, they are loved by many repeaters,’ commented ceo Pierfrancesco Vago. ‘This year, Rhapsody offers a very nice route, with calls at small ports like Portofino, Salerno, Porto Cervo...this is a good reason to keep her, all the more as her itineraries are set until 2010,’ he advised.
‘Moreover, both ships are well maintained, so we don’t plan to take them out of the fleet before that date. We are also thinking about new itineraries in the Middle East,’ Vago confirmed.
‘We have been growing very fast. By 2010, we'll have increased our lower berth capacity seven-fold, which will amount to 25,000. Within eight years, the number of passengers which reached 126,000 in 2003 will have increased nine-fold, topping one million in 2009/2010,’ said Vago.
What about more newbuilds, asked Seatrade Insider?
‘We are planning projects after 2010 and are negotiating for other ships, though nothing has been confirmed yet,’ he added. ‘The Fantasia class will stay in the Med year-round. The Musica class will sail also in the Caribbean and South America. So we might need another type of ship for both winter and summer, maybe an adapted version of the Fantasia class,’ he disclosed.
Seatrade Insider
Also good to hear the will retain MELODY and RHAPSODY at least until 2010.
******
Cheers
quote:Waynaro wrote:...I was hoping MSC will bring one over to the Caribbean.
I guess it would have been nice, but MSC wants its biggest and best in a market where it is still a leader and where it can compete head on with Costa (all year round). It intrigues me that MSC may go the way of an adapted Fantasia-class vessel. They haven't been tried and tested as yet. I know they'll eventually be able to transit Panama, but I would have thought something on the lines of an adapted version of their Musica-class ships. Obviously the future for MSC is in that bracket between 100k-150kgt. I also wonder whether after 2010 they may consider a couple of smaller vessels to replace RHAPSODY and MELODY, something on the lines of the luxury vessels currently around.
How many new ships can they absorb ? Bearing in mnd a few short years ago they had 3 small ships, by the sounds of it by 2012/3 they could have 12 large.very large ships. Seems that 4 is their magic number, 4 Opera class, 4 Musica class and now 4 Fantasia or versions there of. Lets face it if they can fill all 12 they are going to build even more after that.
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