A passenger ship is a merchant ship whose primary function is to carry passengers on the sea. The category does not include cargo vessels which have accommodations for limited numbers of passengers, such as the ubiquitous twelve-passenger freighters once common on the seas in which the transport of passengers is secondary to the carriage of freight. The type does however include many classes of ships designed to transport substantial numbers of passengers as well as freight. Indeed, until recently virtually all ocean liners were able to transport mail, package freight and express, and other cargo in addition to passenger luggage, and were equipped with cargo holds and derricks, kingposts, or other cargo-handling gear for that purpose. Only in more recent ocean liners and in virtually all cruise ships has this cargo capacity been eliminated.
Royal Caribbean International (RCI), previously known as Royal Caribbean Cruise Line (RCCL), is a cruise line brand founded in 1968 in Norway and organised as a wholly owned subsidiary of Royal Caribbean Group since 1997. Based in Miami, Florida, it is the largest cruise line by revenue and second largest by passengers counts. In 2018, Royal Caribbean International controlled 19.2% of the worldwide cruise market by passengers and 14.0% by revenue. As of January 2022, the line operates 26 ships and has four additional ships on order.
Fincantieri S.p.A. is an Italian shipbuilding company based in Trieste, Italy. Already the largest shipbuilder in Europe, after the acquisition of Vard in 2013, Fincantieri group doubled in size to become the fourth largest in the world (2014). The company builds both commercial and military vessels.
The Oasis class is a class of 5 Royal Caribbean International cruise ships. The first two ships in the class, Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas, were delivered respectively in 2009 and 2010 by STX Europe Turku Shipyard, Finland. A third Oasis-class vessel, Harmony of the Seas, was delivered in 2016 built by STX France. A fourth vessel, Symphony of the Seas, was completed in March 2018. As of March 2022, the fifth Oasis-class ship, Wonder of the Seas, is currently in service. A sixth ship, to be named Utopia of the Seas has been ordered by the company.
STX Europe AS, formerly Aker Yards ASA, was until 2012 a subsidiary of the South Korean STX Offshore & Shipbuilding.
MSC Splendida is a Fantasia-class cruise ship owned and operated by MSC Cruises. Constructed at STX France in Saint-Nazaire, she commenced service in July 2009 with $550m investment.
MSC Orchestra is a cruise ship that was built in 2007 for MSC Cruises. She is the second ship of the Musica class. She could at the time accommodate 2,550 passengers in 1,275 cabins. Most inside cabins were later refitted with two bunk beds and therefore she can now accommodate 3,200 passengers. Her crew complement is approximately 990.
Oasis of the Seas is a cruise ship operated by Royal Caribbean International. She is the first of her class, the Oasis class, whose ships were the largest passenger ships in the world, being surpassed in 2023 by the Icon-class. Her hull was laid down in November 2007 and she was completed and delivered to Royal Caribbean in October 2009. At the time of construction, Oasis of the Seas set a new capacity record of carrying over 6,000 passengers. The first of her class, she was joined by sister ships Allure of the Seas in December 2010, Harmony of the Seas in May 2016, Symphony of the Seas in April 2018, and Wonder of the Seas in March 2022, as well as Utopia of the Seas in November 2024. Oasis of the Seas conducts cruises of the Caribbean from her home port of PortMiami in Miami, Florida.
MSC Fantasia is a Fantasia-class cruise ship owned and operated by MSC Cruises and serves as the lead vessel for the Fantasia class of ships. She entered service in December 2008 and ushered in a new generation of larger ships for MSC Cruises, becoming the largest ship to operate for MSC at the time of delivery. She was also the first vessel to feature the MSC Yacht Club, MSC Cruises ship within ship concept.
Costa Fascinosa is a Concordia-class cruise ship that was ordered in October 2007 for Costa Crociere. Based on the Concordia-class design, Costa Fascinosa was constructed by Fincantieri's Marghera shipyard in Venice. Part of a five-ship expansion of the Costa Crociere fleet, the vessel entered service on 6 May 2012. She was Costa Crociere's flagship until Costa Diadema entered service.
MSC Magnifica is a Musica-class cruise ship operated by MSC Cruises. Constructed by STX Europe in Saint-Nazaire, the ship was launched in January 2009, completed in January 2010, and entered service in March 2010.
The Jewel class is a class of cruise ships operated by the Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) and was built by Meyer Werft of Germany. The Jewel class became NCL's largest ships, until the construction of Norwegian Epic, at 153,000 GT, in 2009 at STX Europe in St. Nazaire, which is also owned by NCL. The lead ship, Norwegian Jewel was delivered in August 2005 and the last vessel, Norwegian Gem was delivered in October 2007; however, the second ship of the class Norwegian Jade was originally intended for NCL America. After sailing for the line in two years (2006–2008), Pride of Hawaii proved to be unsuccessful. In 2008, NCL decided to transfer Pride of Hawaii to their fleet. After receiving her current NCL livery, she was renamed Norwegian Jade and sailed for NCL in 2008.
General National Maritime Transport Company, more commonly known as GNMTC, is a Libyan State Owned Company which was founded in 1975, with a total capital of 1.2 billion US Dollars. GNMTC is based in Tripoli, Libya, with subsidiaries in Malta and Hong Kong.
MSC Divina is a cruise ship measured at 139,400 gross tonnage (GT) owned and operated by MSC Cruises. She was constructed from 2010 to 2012 being originally named MSC Fantastica while under construction. MSC renamed her when near complete in the shipyard to honour the actress Sophia Loren.
MSC Preziosa is a Fantasia-class cruise ship owned and operated by MSC Cruises. She entered service in March 2013. She is an enhanced version of her first two class member ships, MSC Splendida and MSC Fantasia, and is identical to the previous MSC Divina. She debuted on 13 March as the fourth ship in the Fantasia class.
The Edge class is a class of cruise ships operated by Celebrity Cruises, a subsidiary of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. The class is constructed by Chantiers de l'Atlantique of France. At present, there are three active Edge-class ships: the lead vessel of the class, Celebrity Edge, Celebrity Apex and Celebrity Beyond. Celebrity Apex was scheduled to begin operations in April 2020, but entry into service was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Her inaugural sailing was on June 21, 2021. A Fourth ship is currently under construction. Celebrity Ascent is tentatively debuting 4th Quarter 2023.
MSC Bellissima is a cruise ship operated by MSC Cruises. She was constructed at the Chantiers de l'Atlantique in Saint-Nazaire, France.
The World class is a class of cruise ships being built by Chantiers de l'Atlantique of France for MSC Cruises. There are four vessels planned, with the lead vessel, MSC World Europa, delivered in 2022.
MSC World Europa is a World-class cruise ship delivered for MSC Cruises and built at the Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyard in Saint-Nazaire, France. MSC World Europa is set to commence public operations from 20 December 2022 in a 9-day roundtrip from Qatar after serving as a hotel ship in Doha during the 2022 FIFA World Cup. She will become MSC's first World-class ship and be joined by three sister ships in 2024, 2025, and 2027, respectively.
