MSC Cruises plans to keep its fleet of relatively new vessels while weathering the Covid-19 storm but expects to delay some newbuilding deliveries at yards in Italy and France.
The privately held, Switzerland-based subsidiary of Mediterranean Shipping Co owns 17 vessels built from 2001 through 2019, according to VesselsValue. It has 13 ships on order through 2027.
"We have one of the most modern fleets at sea and we have no plans to sell any ships," spokesman Llorens Diego Echegary told TradeWinds.
"Our new shipbuilding programme remains unchanged other than for a slight delay in the delivery of certain ships due to the delays and postponements caused by the health pandemic."
The Pierfrancesco Vago-led owner has three ships set to arrive in a few years: 6,334-berth MSC Virtuosa in 2020, 5,362-berth MSC Seashore in 2021 and 5,400-berth MSC World Europea in 2022.
The MSC Virtuosa and MSC World Europa are being built at France's Chantiers de l'Atlantique, while the MSC Seashore is being constructed at Fincantieri Monfalcone shipyard in Italy.
The other 10 ships are on order at either of these two yards with deliveries set for 2023 through 2027.
MSC Cruises plans to keep its fleet in warm lay-up through the end of this month as a result of the pandemic.
Carnival has at least dozen delays in pipeline
US-based rival Carnival Corp may delay as many as a dozen newbuilding deliveries set to arrive from shipyards through 2023, as previously reported.
Carnival's P&O Cruises UK has confirmed that a May 2020 delivery of the Iona from German yard Meyer Werft has been postponed, but a new arrival date has yet to be determined.
Princess Cruises has, likewise, pushed back a July 2020 delivery of the Enchanted Princess but has yet to say when it plans to accept that ship from Italian yard Fincantieri Monfalcone.
TradeWinds has reported that Carnival pushed back the 183,000-gt Mardi Gras delivery from German yard Meyer Turku by three months to February 2021.
Carnival has five other newbuildings earmarked for delivery from various yards through 2021, according to IHS Markit records.
They include the 135,500-gt Costa Firenze from Fincantieri's Margherita and the Costa Toscana from Meyer Turku for Costa Cruises.
AIDA Cruises is set to take the 183,000-gt AIDACosma from Meyer Werft, Holland America Line will take the 99,800-gt Ryndam from Fincantieri's Marghera yard and Princess Cruises plans to accept the 143,000-gt Discovery Princess.
Carnival is also slated to take seven new passengerships from Fincantieri's Monfalcone, Meyer Turku, Meyer Werft and Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding from 2023 through 2025.
Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, which owns 28 ships and has six ships on order from 2022 through 2027, did not return calls.
The aforementioned yards either declined to comment on the deliveries or did not return calls.
