MSC Bellissima
 MSC Bellissima in Saint-Nazaire (France) shipyard at 19 February 2019.
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
| Name | MSC Bellissima |
| Owner | MSC Cruises |
| Operator | MSC Cruises |
| Port of registry | Valletta,  Malta |
| Ordered | 20 March 2014 |
| Builder | Chantiers de l'Atlantique |
| Laid down | 15 November 2017 |
| Launched | 14 June 2018 |
| Christened | 2 March 2019 |
| Acquired | 27 February 2019 |
| Maiden voyage | 4 March 2019 |
| In service | 4 March 2019 |
| Identification |
|
| Status | In service |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Meraviglia-class |
| Tonnage | 171,598 GT[1] |
| Length | 315.83 metres (1,036.2 ft)[1] |
| Draught | 8.75 metres (28.7 ft)[1] |
| Decks | 18[1] |
| Installed power | 38,400 kilowatts (51,500 hp) |
| Propulsion | 2 × ABB Azipods[1] |
| Speed | 21.8 knots (40.4 km/h; 25.1 mph)[1] |
| Capacity | 4,500 |
MSC Bellissima is a cruise ship operated by MSC Cruises. She was constructed at the Chantiers de l'Atlantique in Saint-Nazaire, France.[2]
The ship joined MSC Meraviglia in the company’s Meraviglia-class of cruise ships. She has a tonnage of 171,598 GT and a capacity of 4,500 passengers.[1][3] The ship debuted in March 2019.
MSC Cruises announced the suspension of all North American itineraries until June 30, 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[4]
Design and construction
MSC Cruises and STX France cut the first steel of Bellissima on November 28, 2016.[5][6] Her keel laying and coin ceremony happened on November 15, 2017.[7] On June 14, 2018, the ship was floated out.[8] Her sea trials took place in December 2018.[9]
Her delivery ceremony took place on February 27, 2019. Bellissima was officially named on March 2, 2019, at Southampton, by the actress, Sophia Loren.[10] The original ceremony in a marquee on the quayside had to be abandoned due to high winds, so a substitute ceremony was quickly organised and Loren pressed a button on the ship's bridge to smash the bottle of champagne on the ship's bows.[11]
MSC Cruises collaborated with Harman International to bring "ZOE," the first virtual assistant to be featured on any cruise ship, to the MSC Bellissima and future MSC Cruises ships.[12] In September 2019, as a part of MSC Cruises' longstanding relationship with Swarovski, the Bellissima will feature a suite fully embellished with 700,000 crystals.[13]
Route
MSC Bellissima departed for her maiden voyage on March 4, 2019.[14] She will spend her maiden season in the Mediterranean, before re-positioning to the Persian Gulf in November 2019, cruising from Dubai for the winter season,[15][10] and made a maiden call at Doha, Qatar in December 2019.[16] She will then be redeployed to Asia to serve MSC's China program in Spring 2020.[8][10] In 2020, the ship will be heading in Asia.[17]
Incidents
Coronavirus pandemic
On 2020.03.21, officials from the Indian state of Telangana reported that a 33-year-old crew member of MSC Bellissima had tested positive for SARS-CoV-2.[18] The crew member was also reported to have been to Dubai, and was stable at the time of the report.[18]
On 2020.03.24, it was reported that three Azoreans who were former passengers of MSC Bellissima during its cruise to Dubai from 2020.03.07 to 2020.03.14 had tested positive.[a][19]
On 2020.04.02, a 22-year-old crew member of MSC Bellissima, who had quarantined himself at home in Trappeto, Sicily after returning from Dubai, announced that he had tested positive that day.[20]
Notes
- ^ Two cases were from São Miguel Island, a 31-year-old man and a 22-year-old woman, while one case from São Jorge Island had been diagnosed previously, but had been in contact with a newly-diagnosed case from Terceira Island.[19]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h "MSC BELLISSIMA (9760524)". BV Fleet. Bureau Veritas. Retrieved 2019-03-25.
- ^ "MSC Bellissima Cruise Ship: Review & Photos on Cruise Critic". www.cruisecritic.com. Retrieved 2018-02-01.
- ^ "MSC Bellissima Ship Stats & Information- MSC Cruises MSC Bellissima Cruises: Travel Weekly". www.travelweekly.com. Retrieved 2018-02-01.
- ^ "MSC Cruises is latest to suspend operations through summer". 30 April 2020.
- ^ "Cruise ship launch timeline | MSC Bellissima| MSC Cruises". MSC Cruises Australia Website. Retrieved 2018-02-01.
- ^ "MSC Cruises Finalizes Contract for Two New Meraviglia-Plus Ships". TravelPulse. Retrieved 2018-02-01.
- ^ "MSC Cruises Cuts Steel for First Meraviglia Plus-class Ship, MSC Grandiosa; Coin Ceremony Held for MSC Bellissima". www.cruisecritic.com. Retrieved 2019-09-13.
- ^ a b "MSC Bellissima Casts Off for Sea Trials | World Maritime News". worldmaritimenews.com. 20 December 2018. Retrieved 2019-09-12.
- ^ Mathisen, Monty (2018-12-21). "MSC Bellissima Departs from Chantiers de l'Atlantique For Sea Trials". www.cruiseindustrynews.com. Retrieved 2019-09-12.
- ^ a b c "MSC Bellissima Christened". The Maritime Executive. Retrieved 2019-09-12.
- ^ Ross, Andrew. "Star-studded naming of MSC Bellissima halted by bad weather". Daily Echo. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
- ^ "This New Cruise Ship Will Have Virtual Assistants to Give You Everything You Could Possibly Need". Travel + Leisure. Retrieved 2019-09-12.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "MSC Bellissima to debut Swarovski suite, Grandiosa will have fine art experience". Seatrade Cruise News. 2019-09-09. Retrieved 2019-09-12.
- ^ Staff, C. I. N. (2019-02-27). "Chantiers de l'Atlantique Delivers MSC Bellissima". www.cruiseindustrynews.com. Retrieved 2019-09-12.
- ^ "MSC Cruises' newest mega cruise ship MSC Bellissima will cruise roundtrip from Dubai in 2020 -". 2018-02-12. Retrieved 2018-05-22.
- ^ Staff, C. I. N. (December 2, 2019). "MSC Bellissima Makes Maiden Visit to Doha". www.cruiseindustrynews.com.
- ^ "MSC Bellissima is heading to Asia in spring 2020". seatrade-cruise.com. April 24, 2018.
- ^ a b "Two more persons test positive for COVID-19 in Telangana". Telangana Today.
- ^ a b "Açorianos que participaram no cruzeiro devem contactar a Linha Saúde Açores". Açoriano Oriental.
- ^ "Trappeto, positivo un ragazzo di 22 anni che lavorava sulle navi MSC". April 2, 2020.