As MSC Meraviglia marked her maiden call to Kiel, senior leaders of MSC Cruises and the port gathered to renew their long-term partnership and agreed to ramp up the company’s homeporting operations.
MSC Meraviglia’s maiden call marks the start of a regular cruise schedule with turnaround operations in Kiel, where the ship is homeporting until September.
On a bi-weekly basis, MSC Meraviglia sails on two routes to the Norwegian Fjords via Copenhagen and Stavanger, and to St. Petersburg via Copenhagen, Helsinki and Tallinn.
Customized branding
As the main cruise line user of Berth No. 1 – Ostuferhafen, MSC Cruises has customized the branding of both the terminal and the associated luggage area. A second gangway specifically for MSC Cruises is due to be developed in due course, helping ensure smooth turnaround operations.
To further reinforce their partnership, Pierfrancesco Vago, MSC Cruises executive chairman, and Dirk Claus, managing director and CEO of Port of Kiel, signed a letter of intent laying out the brand’s future growth from the port.
MSC Cruises will deploy two ships in Kiel from 2020 onwards, becoming the port’s leading cruise line customer and enabling its growth across Northern Europe and the Baltic.
Vago said: ‘This newly equipped, co-branded terminal and dedicated berth will enable us to achieve dramatic growth out of Kiel, which will become one of our key homeports in Northern Europe. We will consolidate our position as the cruise line with the second largest capacity deployed in Germany and Northern Europe while also becoming the number one cruise line in Kiel. We look forward to a bright common future.’
Sustainable development is a joint area of focus and, as part of the LOI, the Port of Kiel and MSC Cruises have agreed to analyse options to equip the dedicated berth with shore-to-ship power. MSC Meraviglia is ready to receive power from local grids at berth.
MSC Meraviglia is due to reposition to North America and the Caribbean in September, where she will spend the upcoming winter season.
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