Seaside-class cruise ship

MSC Seaside, the lead vessel in the Seaside class
Class overview
BuildersFincantieri, Monfalcone
OperatorsMSC Cruises
Preceded byMeraviglia class
Succeeded byWorld class
SubclassesSeaside EVO subclass
Planned4
Completed4
Active4
General characteristics
TypeCruise ship
Tonnage
  • 153,516 GT
  • 170,412 GT
Length
  • 323 m (1,059 ft 9 in)
  • 339 m (1,112 ft 2 in)
Beam41 m (134 ft 6 in)
Draft8.5 m (27 ft 11 in)
Depth12.1 m (39 ft 8 in)
Decks
  • 18
  • 19
Speed21.3 knots (39.4 km/h; 24.5 mph)
Capacity
  • 5,119 passengers
  • 5,646 passengers
NotesWhere applicable, second line indicates Seaside EVO specifications

The Seaside class is a class of four cruise ships owned and operated by MSC Cruises. The lead ship of the class, MSC Seaside, entered service in the Caribbean Sea in December 2017.[1] A fourth cruise ship, the MSC Seascape was christened in New York on December 7, 2022.

Design and engineering

The Seaside class is based on Fincantieri's "Project Mille".[2][3] The two original Seaside-class ships in the class have 18 decks and 153,516 gross tonnage (GT), with a length of 323 metres (1,059 ft 9 in), a draft of 8.8 metres (28 ft 10 in), a depth of 12.1 metres (39 ft 8 in), and a beam of 41 metres (134 ft 6 in).[1] The maximum passenger capacity is 5,119, with a crew complement of 1,413.[1] The two Seaside EVO ships will measure 170,412 GT, with a length of 339 metres (1,112 ft 2 in); an additional deck and modified cabins will give them a passenger capacity of 5,646.[1]

Seaside-class ships are powered by a diesel-electric genset system, with four Wärtsilä engines driving GE Marine electrical equipment.[1] Main propulsion is via two propellers, each driven by a 20-megawatt (27,000 hp) electric motor; four forward and three aft 3.1-megawatt (4,200 hp) thrusters allow for close-quarters maneuvering.[1] The system gives the vessels a maximum speed of 21.3 knots (39.4 km/h; 24.5 mph).[1]

Construction

The first two ships were ordered in May 2014 from Fincantieri, with each ship costing US$700 million, and scheduled to be delivered in November 2017 and May 2018, respectively.[4] The order also came with an option for a third vessel.[4]

Upon delivery of MSC Seaside in November 2017, MSC Cruises announced that it signed an order from Fincantieri for two new vessels that were to be an evolution from the existing Seaside-class platform, a sub-class to be dubbed "Seaside EVO".[5] MSC explained that the option to build a third Seaside-class vessel was replaced with a new agreement to build the two Seaside EVO-class ships.[5] Delivery for the two ships is expected for 2021 and 2022, respectively.[5]

So far all of the ships of this class have been given the "Sea" prefix.[6]

Ships in class

Built Ship Tonnage Flag Notes
2017 MSC Seaside 153,516 GT  Malta Entered service in December 2017[1]
2018 MSC Seaview 153,516 GT  Malta Entered service in June 2018[7]
2021 MSC Seashore 170,412 GT  Malta Entered service in August 2021[8]
2022 MSC Seascape[9] 170,412 GT[10]  Malta Entered Service in November 2022[11]

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Seaside-class cruise ship.
  1. ^ a b c d e f g h "Evolution in cruise ship design from Italy". The Motorship. 14 May 2018. Retrieved 27 May 2018.
  2. ^ "Summer 2013: Technical: Project Mille". 2013-06-29. Retrieved 2017-09-14.
  3. ^ "Fincantieri New Ship Proposal Leaks". 2013-08-15. Retrieved 2017-09-14.
  4. ^ a b "MSC Cruises Order Two 154,000 gt Cruise Ships". Marine Link. 24 May 2014. Retrieved 27 May 2018.
  5. ^ a b c Leposa, Adam (2017-11-29). "MSC Signs Order for New "Seaside EVO" Class of Cruise Ships". Travel Agent Central.
  6. ^ "Naming Cruise Ships". Retrieved September 4, 2020.
  7. ^ Kosciolek, Ashley (2018-06-04). "MSC Cruises Takes Delivery of Newest Ship, MSC Seaview". www.cruisecritic.com.
  8. ^ "MSC Seashore Completes First Year in Service - Cruise Industry News | Cruise News". cruiseindustrynews.com/. Retrieved 2023-03-19.
  9. ^ "AT COIN CEREMONY MSC CRUISES NAMES SECOND SEASIDE EVO SHIP, ONE OF TWO VESSELS FINCANTIERI IS BUILDING TO SUPPORT THE LINE'S LONG-TERM GROWTH PLANS". 2021-06-27. Retrieved 2021-06-29.
  10. ^ "MSC Sseascape (9843807)". LeonardoInfo. Registro Italiano Navale. Retrieved 22 November 2022.
  11. ^ Thakkar, Emrys (2021-06-24). "MSC Seascape Name Revealed as Construction Milestone Reached". Cruise Hive. Retrieved 2023-03-19.