History | |
---|---|
Name | MSC Splendida |
Operator | MSC Cruises |
Port of registry | Panama [1] |
Ordered | 16 November 2005 |
Builder | STX Europe (St. Nazaire) [1] [2] |
Cost | $550 million [1] |
Laid down | 24 October 2007 |
Launched | 18 July 2008 |
Christened | 12 July 2009 by Sophia Loren [3] |
Completed | 2 July 2009 |
Maiden voyage | 4 July 2009 |
Identification | |
Status | In service |
General characteristics | |
Class and type | Fantasia-class cruise ship |
Tonnage | 137,936 GT [1] |
Length | 333.33 m (1,093.60 ft) [4] |
Beam | 37.92 m (124.41 ft) [1] |
Height | 66.81 m (219.2 ft) [6] |
Draft | 8.29 m (27.2 ft) [4] |
Decks | 18 total, 13 passenger decks [1] [6] |
Installed power | Diesel (40,000kW) [1] |
Propulsion | 2 propellers [1] |
Speed | 21 knots (39 km/h) [2] |
Capacity | 3,900 passengers [1] |
Crew | 1,313 crew [1] |
Notes | 15 elevators, [6] post-Panamax |
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 Splendida was completed in 2009 at a cost of $550 million and is a sister ship to MSC Fantasia , originally, she was to be named MSC Serenata, but the name was changed in May 2007 to MSC Splendida [7] [8] She measures 137,936 GT, and is 333.30 m long with a beam of 37.98 m, a height of 66.81 m and a draft of 8.29 m. Her capacity is 3,900 passengers. [9] [10] The two Neopanamax vessels were to be the largest ships in a European cruise line's fleet at the time of delivery. [11]
The then-unnamed vessel was part of a two-ship order made by MSC Cruises with STX France on 16 November 2005, for a tentative delivery in spring 2009. [12] Construction began on then-MSC Serenata on 12 April 2007 with the steel-cutting. [11] The ship was launched from the shipyard on 18 July 2008. [13] She began her sea trials on 21 May 2009 and completed them on 27 May 2009. [14] The ship was delivered to MSC Cruises on 4 July 2009. [14] She embarked on her maiden voyage on 4 July 2009 [15] and returned 11 July, to be officially named on 12 July 2009, in Barcelona by Sophia Loren, her godmother. [3]
MSC Splendida has cruised the Mediterranean and Far East. [16] She was refurbished in 2017 before deploying to China. [17] In 2020 March, the ship docked in Palong, Thailand beach during the coronavirus pandemic, after more the 2,700 passengers was disembarked. [18] The ship is scheduled to serve Southeast Asia until summer 2020 before repositioning to Northern Europe and the Mediterranean. [19] The ship is scheduled to be based in Durban for the 2023/2024 cruise season and will serve the South African market sailing to Mozambique, Mauritius, Reunion, Namibia, Port Elizabeth & Cape Town. [20]
The ship's horn system is programmed to play multiple songs, including "We Will Rock You" and "We Are the Champions" by Queen, "Seven Nation Army" by The White Stripes and "Happy Birthday to You". [21]
On 18 March 2015, MSC Splendida was in port in Tunis with Costa Fascinosa when gunmen opened fire on tourists at the Bardo National Museum. Twelve passengers hailing from Japan, Italy, Colombia, Spain, Britain, Australia, Poland, and France, were killed. [22]
On 23 March 2020, around 14:00 CET, a Thai crew member working aboard as a buffet attendant was medically evacuated via lifeboat after she exhibited symptoms consistent with COVID-19 and was having difficulty breathing. [lower-alpha 1] [23] At the time, the ship was near the island of Sardinia and headed to Marseille [lower-alpha 2] to disembark all of its passengers. [23]
On 24 March 2020, MSC Cruises informed the crew that the sick crew member had tested negative. [23] However, two days later, on 26 March, it was reported that the sick crew member had been tested again, and this time, the test had returned positive. [23] As a result, 16 crew members were placed under quarantine. [23] The ship later docked in Genoa so that some of its crew members could disembark. [25]
By 1 April 2020, 26 crew members had been placed under quarantine, with 3 crew members running high temperatures. [23]
MSC Splendida is featured on Indian Tamil film, Manmadan Ambu . [26]
MSC Cruises is a Swiss-Italian global cruise line based in Geneva, with operations offices in Naples, Genoa and Venice. It was founded in 1988 in Naples, Italy, as part of the Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC). In addition to being the world's largest privately held cruise company, employing about 23,500 people worldwide and with offices in 45 countries as of 2017, MSC Cruises is the third-largest cruise company in the world, after Carnival Corporation & plc and Royal Caribbean Group, with a 10.2% share of all passengers carried in 2021.
MSC Armonia is a Lirica-class cruise ship owned and operated by MSC Cruises. Originally built in 2001 for, the now defunct, Festival Cruises as MS European Vision, she has been operating for MSC Cruises since 2004. At 58,600 gross tons, she can accommodate 2,065 passengers in 783 cabins and 760 crew members.
Vasco da Gama is a cruise ship operated by German cruise line Nicko Cruises. Completed in 1993, she previously sailed for Holland America Line as MS Statendam, for P&O Cruises Australia as Pacific Eden and for Cruise & Maritime Voyages as Vasco da Gama. In 2020, following CMV's filing for administration, she was sold by CW Kellock & Co Ltd. at auction to Mystic Cruises' parent company, Mystic Invest for US$10,187,000.
MS Zaandam is a cruise ship owned and operated by Holland America Line, named for the city of Zaandam, Netherlands near Amsterdam. She was built by Fincantieri in Marghera, Italy and delivered in 2000. Zaandam is part of the ''Rotterdam'' class and a sister ship to Volendam, Rotterdam, and Amsterdam.
Carnival Glory is a Conquest-class cruise ship operated by Carnival Cruise Line. She is the second of five Conquest-class cruise ships. As of March 2023, she operates out of Port Canaveral.
The Oasis class is a class of seven 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, was the largest cruise ship in the world. A sixth ship, as of July 2024'. And now the new 2nd largest cruise ship in the world Utopia of the Seas, with a seventh to follow in 2028.
Carnival Valor is a post-Panamax Conquest-class cruise ship operated by Carnival Cruise Line. The vessel was built by Fincantieri at its Monfalcone shipyard in Friuli-Venezia Giulia. She was floated out on March 27, 2004, and christened by American journalist Katie Couric in Miami on December 17, 2004.
Goddess of the Night is a Destiny-class cruise ship owned by Seajets since 2023. Formerly operating as Costa Magica by Costa Crociere, a subsidiary of Carnival Corporation & plc, the 102,784 GT vessel joined sister ship Costa Fortuna in 2004 and were referred together as Fortuna-class ships; together, they became the largest ships in the Costa fleet at her time of delivery. Costa Magica paid homage to some of the most famous destinations in Italy including Positano, Portofino, Bellagio, and Sicily, which were incorporated into her public areas and restaurants. 19 years after her debut, Costa sold Costa Magica to Greek/Cypriot ferry company Seajets in 2023 and she was subsequently renamed Mykonos Magic.
Costa Fortuna is a cruise ship for Costa Crociere built in 2003 on the same platform as Carnival Cruise Lines' Destiny class. She was inspired by the Italian steamships of the past. Models of these ships are on display in the ship's public areas. In the atrium, models of the 26 past and present ships of Costa's fleet are displayed upside down, on the ceiling, up to, and including, Costa Fortuna herself. She was refurbished between 10 and 16 December 2018 in Singapore and was re-positioned back to Genoa, Italy in March 2019.
MS Azamara Onward, formerly R Three and Pacific Princess, is a cruise ship owned and operated by Azamara Cruises since 2022. She was built in 1999 by the Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyard in Saint-Nazaire, France for Renaissance Cruises. In 2002, following the failure of Renaissance Cruises, the ship was sold to Princess Cruises and renamed Pacific Princess. On 21 January 2021, Carnival announced the ship had been sold to an unnamed buyer, later revealed to be Azamara Cruises.
Emerald Princess is a Crown-class cruise ship for Princess Cruises that entered service in April 2007. Her sister ships include Ruby Princess and Crown Princess.
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 Fantasia class is a class of cruise ships, operated by MSC Cruises. At present, there are four active Fantasia-class cruise ships, the lead vessel, MSC Fantasia, MSC Splendida, MSC Divina and the MSC Preziosa, which were built by STX Europe in St. Nazaire. MSC Divina and MSC Preziosa are modified Fantasia-class ships. They have a 139,400 gross tonnage (GT) and have expanded amenities compared to their earlier sister ships.
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.
MSC Meraviglia is a cruise ship owned and operated by MSC Cruises, built at the Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyard in St. Nazaire, France, by STX France. MSC Meraviglia is the lead ship of MSC's new "Vista Project" vessels, the Meraviglia class, with MSC Bellissima following in 2019. Each vessel has a passenger capacity of 4,500. When it entered service in June 2017, it was the sixth largest cruise ship in the world, behind Royal Caribbean's Oasis-class cruise ships and AIDAnova.
MSC Bellissima is a cruise ship operated by MSC Cruises. She was constructed at the Chantiers de l'Atlantique in Saint-Nazaire, France.
MSC Virtuosa is a Meraviglia-Plus-class cruise ship owned and operated by MSC Cruises. Built by Chantiers de l'Atlantique in Saint-Nazaire, France, she is the second ship in the Meraviglia-Plus class and sister ship to MSC Grandiosa. Originally scheduled to debut on 8 November 2020, her delivery and entry into service was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. She was delivered to MSC Cruises on 1 February 2021 and entered service in May 2021.
Early in 2020, in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, the disease spread to a number of cruise ships, with the nature of such ships – including crowded semi-enclosed areas, increased exposure to new environments, and limited medical resources – contributing to the heightened risk and rapid spread of the disease.