Chantiers de l’Atlantique’s Castaing: We're ready to build more ships for MSC Cruises

Whilst there was no formal announcement on the status of options by either owner or yard at Wednesday’s handover ceremony for MSC Euribia, an MSC official confirmed to Seatrade Cruise on the sidelines that nothing has been signed but the two options still exist.

MSC World America (World class 2), whose coin ceremony took place this week, is the 19^th ship MSC Cruises has placed with Chantiers.

Laurent Castaing, Chantiers’ general manager said, ‘We are ready to build our 20^th ship with the company, to achieve even much more. We are not short of ideas. We love challenges. And we are ready for them.’

Castaing also claimed, when it comes to sustainability, the yard is far ahead of what regulations require now and will demand in a few years. 'Moreover, we are going to progress as well, mainly by using bio-LNG.'

LNG trio

Underlining how LNG-powered MSC Euribia is important ‘because of its high performance,' Castaing also recalled the moment the order was placed as ‘the fastest we ever received.’

In fact, in less than a quarter of an hour.

‘Pierfrancesco Vago asked me only two questions: Could you build a fifth Meraviglia ship for such a price and do you know how to build the best environmental ship at the time of its delivery?

‘I answered yes to both. We shook hands, the deal was done and the contract was signed soon after.

‘This exemplifies what two men can do when they trust each other. And what two companies can achieve to be part of saving not only the sea, but also the planet.’

An attitude which was also praised by Gianluigi Aponte, MSC founder, owner and chairman: ‘MSC Euribia is the new benchmark as far as the protection of the environment is concerned and the most efficient in the world from an energy point of view. It asserts itself as a sustainability model for the maritime industry. A result we owe to our joint effort and shared ambitions with Chantiers.’

MSC the French market leader

Patrick Pourbaix, heading up MSC Cruises in France, said, ‘We are very optimistic about all the new technologies already installed and still to come. We are also lucky that MSC has the means to fulfill its ambitions and Chantiers the capacity to achieve them perfectly well.’

With a 57% share in France, MSC Cruises is the market leader, Pourbaix claimed, and with no new ship now until 2025, ‘We are going to  continue to drive this market and be super efficient as far as the product we deliver is concerned.’