Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1069175
15 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 9 JANUARY 2019 COMMERCIAL MSC Cruises, the Swiss-based world's largest privately-owned cruise line and market leader in Europe, South America, South Africa and the Gulf, and Chantiers de l'Atlantique have celebrated the float out of MSC Grandiosa at the shipyard in Saint-Nazaire, where the ship is being built. She has now been moved to a wet dock, where work on the ship will continue until her delivery in October 2019. MSC Grandiosa is due to be- come the third Meraviglia ship to enter MSC Cruises' fleet, and the first of three Meraviglia- Plus ships, which feature larger tonnage and guest capacity than the first two Meraviglia ships – MSC Meraviglia and MSC Bellissima. She will also become the fifth ship to enter MSC Cruises' fleet in just two and a half years. As part of MSC Cruises' fleet expansion plan, the Company is due to take de- livery of another 12 next-gener- ation cruise ships by 2027. MSC Grandiosa will showcase an even larger Mediterranean- style promenade, the ground- breaking feature unique to Meraviglia generation ships that serves as the social hub of the ship. Amongst other spe- cialty restaurants it will feature a new bar and lounge, L'Atelier Bistrot, offering lounge seating with a stage and a dance floor, impressionist art on display and terrace seating with Parisian Bistrot tables and chairs. This award-winning promenade will host surprise performances, in- cluding flash mobs and themed parties as well as the awe-in- spiring projections on the even longer 98.5-metre LED Sky screen. As other Meraviglia class ships, MSC Grandiosa will fea- ture two brand new exclusive shows from Cirque du Soleil at Sea. This is part of a long-term partnership between MSC Cruises and Cirque du Soleil, the world leader in artistic en- tertainment. Following MSC Bellissima's launch in February 2018, MSC Grandiosa will become the sec- ond MSC Cruises ship to fea- ture Zoe, the cruise industry's first digital cruise personal as- sistant, as a new feature of MSC for Me. This service will provide guests with a simple and stress- free way to receive information that is traditionally provided at the Guest Relations desk. MSC Grandiosa will be de- livered to MSC Cruises on 31 October and will start regular sailings from Genoa, Italy on 16 November 2019. Sales for MSC Grandiosa cruises are already open. Hamilton Travel Co. Ltd. of 4, St. Publius Street, Floriana are the exclusive General Sales Agents for MSC in the Maltese Islands. For further informa- tion, please call on 21241292 or www.hamiltontravel.com.mt MSC celebrates float-out of MSC Grandiosa Largest catamaran in the Mediterranean will ferry passengers from Malta to Sicily Virtu Ferries' Saint John Paul II is the world's second largest catamaran with a high speed of over 70.4 kilometres per hour M/V Saint John Paul II, (Hull 089) afloat at the Incat ship- yard in Hobart, Tasmania, is due to be delivered to ship- owners Virtu Ferries on the 24 January 2019. A few days later the vessel will commence a 9,600-nautical mile (17,780 kilometres), 20- day journey to Malta. The ves- sel's maiden voyage will see her crossing the Indian Ocean, call- ing at the ports of Fremantle in Western Australia and Colom- bo in Sri Lanka for refuelling, before passing Somalia, at the Eastern tip of Africa, to transit the length of the Red Sea where she will call at the last refuelling port of Jeddah before entering the Mediterranean via the Suez Canal. The last leg of the journey, Port Said to Valletta, should be covered in 30 hours. The vessel will be deployed on the Malta/ Sicily route in March 2019. Saint John Paul II is being built to conform not only to the obligatory International Maritime Organisation High- Speed Craft Code 2000 but also to The EU Directive 1999/35/ EC of the European Maritime Safety Agency of the European Commission. The newbuild also conforms with the EU Maritime Green Policy, the European response to the new generation of ocean strategies based on science, technology and innovation. The shipbuilders, Incat, are acknowledged world leaders in design and construction of high speed vessels, who pride them- selves in building the fastest, ef- ficient, environmentally clean, high speed vessels in the world. Saint John Paul II is powered by four MTU engines generat- ing a total of 36.4 Mega Watts. These state of the art engines meet IMO Marpol Annex VI Tier II standards which regu- late exhaust gas emissions, with the aim of reducing local and global air pollution. Four Wärt- silä waterjets give the vessel a cruising speed in excess of 38 knots (over 70.4 km/hour) With a deadweight of 1,000 tons, capacity for 900 passen- gers in five lounges, and a ga- rage that takes 167 cars or 23 trailers, Saint John Paul II will be the largest High Speed Ro- Pax Catamaran operating in the Mediterranean and the second largest in the world. Saint John Paul II, is the fifth newbuild, and 11th high speed vessel, delivered to Virtu since the commencement of the high-speed ferry service be- tween Malta and Sicily in 1988. The company has invested in excess of €175 million in high speed vessels that have, at some time, been operated on the Malta/Sicily route, effectively revolutionising the carriage of passengers and cargo between the neighbouring islands. Vir- tu currently also operate high speed vessels on international routes between Venice and Adriatic Ports in Slovenia and Croatia as well as Tarifa, Spain to Tangier in Morocco. Virtu Ferries are acknowl- edged internationally as pio- neering operators of high speed passengers and cargo ferries. In times of humanitarian cri- sis, Virtu have operated their vessels on time-charter to the Governments of Australia, the USA, Italy, and Malta and in- ternational corporations and institutions such as the Interna- tional Red Cross and Medicins Sans Frontier. The vessel is named after Saint John Paul II. Virtu Fer- ries had the honour of welcom- ing HH Pope John Paul II on board ACC San Frangisk, on that momentous return voyage between Grand Harbour, Val- letta, St Paul's Islands and Gozo on 27th May 1990. Like all other Virtu high speed vessels, the Saint John Paul II will fly the Malta Flag and is certified for international voy- ages by the International Clas- sification Society, DNV GL.