MSC Cruises takes delivery of new flagship
The MSC Virtuosa is the second cruise ship in the Meraviglia Plus-class (Source: MSC Cruises)
Geneva-based MSC Cruises has taken delivery of MSC Virtuosa, which was built at Chantiers de l’Atlantique shipyard in St Nazaire, France. The 331m-long ship is the second vessel in the Meraviglia Plus-class after MSC Bellisima, which was delivered in February 2019. They are 16m longer than the first Meraviglia-class vessels, MSC Meraviglia and MSC Bellissima.
MSC Virtuosa is a technically advanced cruise ship, with hybrid exhaust gas cleaning systems, selective catalytic reduction to reduce NOx emissions, waste water treatment systems, and shore-to-ship power connections. The vessel also has a radiated system for managing underwater noise, and a hull and engine room configuration that minimises acoustic sound impact and reduces potentially harmful effects on marine organisms and fauna.
MSC Virtuosa has capacity for 6,297 passengers. On 19 decks, it offers nine restaurants, 21 bars, five swimming pools, and 12 different types of cabin. There is also a 945-seat theatre and 1,168m2 of retail space on board.
MSC Virtuosa is currently due to enter service on April 16th with four Mediterranean cruises of three, four and ten nights. Then the vessel will sail to its home port, Kiel, before embarking on north European itineraries in the Baltic Sea and on Norway’s west coast.
