Preziosa raises Italian flag
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MSC Cruises has formally taken possession of its new ship, the MSC Preziosa, in a flag raising ceremony at the STX France Shipyard.
The ritual, which saw the STX France general manager Laurent Castaing hand the vessel over to MSC’s owner Gianluigi Aponte – before Aponte gave command of the vessel to Captain Guilano Bossi – was completed alongside the raising of the Italian and MSC flags.
“We are here today to celebrate MSC Preziosa, the 12th addition to MSC’s state-of-the-art fleet and our fourth Fantasia-class ship, whose arrival means that MSC Cruises is now the world’s third biggest cruise line,” said MSC Cruises CEO Pierfrancesco Vago.
“Thanks to our longstanding and effective collaboration with the STX yard, we have been able to successfully fine-tune our product year upon year. With her unique features and outstanding favourites such as the MSC Yacht Club, I believe MSC Preziosa now brings the MSC Mediterranean experience to perfection. MSC Preziosa completes a cycle, crowning an investment programme of over 6 billion euros started in 2003, through which we have realized our ambitious vision of building 10 new ships in just under 10 years.”
Laurent Castaing added: “Growth and development: these are the characteristics that have defined MSC since the very beginning of their journey into the world cruising, and we are proud to have been involved at every step of the way.
“Over the past decade, each ship in the MSC fleet has come to life in these docks: a testament to the confidence that MSC has placed in our shipyard year after year. Each new class of ship that we have conceived together has evolved to reflect the highest possible standards in comfort, technology and security available. MSC Preziosa is no exception, and she will take to the seas boasting the latest innovations in each of these areas.”
The vessel is now taking its pre-inaugural cruise, calling at Lisbon, Cadiz, Casablanca, Valencia and Marseille. From there it will sail to Genoa for the inaugural celebrations which will begin on Friday 22 March.
