On November 12, MSC Cruises announced that it has officially confirmed the placement of an order for two additional World-class cruise ships at Chantiers de l’Atlantique. This marks the second time this year that MSC has increased its order for World-class ships, reflecting the company’s confidence in the future development of the cruise industry. With this addition, the total number of World-class ships ordered by MSC at Chantiers de l’Atlantique reaches eight, with a total value of approximately 12.6 billion euros (about 103.7 billion RMB).
According to information released on MSC’s official website, the two new ships will be the 7th and 8th vessels in the World-class series, scheduled for delivery in 2030 and 2031 respectively. These new ships will continue the environmental philosophy of the World-class, applying the latest technologies and standards, and adopting forward-thinking designs to further enhance the ships’ energy efficiency and quality while creating a better experience for guests.
Based on previous technical parameters of the World-class ships, this ship type will have a gross tonnage of 217,000 tons, a passenger capacity of approximately 5,400, and will be equipped with LNG dual-fuel engines. Simultaneously, MSC and Chantiers de l’Atlantique will also explore the application of technologies such as fuel cells. This ship type is expected to potentially use biofuels or synthetic fuels in the future, thereby further reducing carbon emissions.
On the same day, two major milestones were achieved for the World-class ships under construction at Chantiers de l’Atlantique for MSC: the undocking of the third ship, “MSC World Asia”, and the docking of the fourth ship, “MSC World Atlantic”. According to the plan, these two ships are expected to be delivered in 2026 and 2027 respectively.
To date, MSC has ordered eight World-class ships at Chantiers de l’Atlantique, with a total price of 12.6 billion euros. Among them, the first ship, “MSC World Europa”, was delivered in October 2022 and is also MSC’s first LNG-powered cruise ship; the second ship, “MSC World America”, was delivered in March 2025 and began its maiden voyage in April. In May of this year, MSC announced an additional order for the 5th and 6th ships of this class at Chantiers de l’Atlantique.
A representative from the MSC Group’s cruise business stated that achieving these important milestones and placing additional orders reflect the excellent cooperative relationship between the company and Chantiers de l’Atlantique. A representative from Chantiers de l’Atlantique stated that securing orders for eight World-class ships demonstrates the shipyard’s professional technology and market competitiveness. Both parties are committed to fulfilling environmental commitments to the cruise industry and enhancing the guest experience.
As the world’s third-largest cruise company, MSC currently operates 23 cruise ships, with itineraries covering over 300 destinations in more than 100 countries or regions. In the future, the World-class ships will be primarily deployed in regions such as the Western Mediterranean, the Caribbean, and the Bahamas.
According to statistics from Cruise Industry News, including the two new ship orders mentioned above, the current global cruise market orderbook stands at 72 ships. Chantiers de l’Atlantique’s orderbook now includes 10 ships, and the shipyard has received orders for 5 cruise ships since the beginning of this year.
