MSC Cruises: Швейцарияда тіркелген круиздік компанияның тарихы

Cruise line registered in Switzerland

MSC Cruises is a Swiss Italian global cruise line based in Geneva, with operations offices in Naples, Genoa and Venice. It was founded in 1970 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.

Lauro Lines was founded in Naples, Italy by Achille Lauro in 1960. The company entered the cruise business operating two ships, and Angelina Lauro burnt in the port of St. Thomas, United States Virgin Islands in 1979 and Achille Lauro was hijacked by members of the Palestine Liberation Front in 1985 which put the company in financial difficulties.

In 1988, Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) entered the cruise business by buying the liner Monterey. In 1989, MSC bought Lauro Lines. The new company was named StarLauro Cruises and had 2 ships, Monterey and Achille Lauro. In 1995, StarLauro Cruises was renamed MSC Cruises. In July 2018, the company announced that it would build a second cruise terminal at PortMiami for its World class cruise ships as an expansion of its North American program. It is scheduled to be completed in October 2022. In October 2018, MSC announced an order for four luxury ships of 64,000 gross tons each. These ultra luxury vessels will be based on the cruise line's luxury concept, the "MSC Yacht Club." In mid 2020, MSC Cruises suspended most (or all) of their operations for over six months during the COVID 19 pandemic. On 9 January 2021, a report stated MSC was hoping to resume some cruises in Europe in the near future but added that "it remains to be seen whether this will go ahead with much of the continent still in lockdown". In March 2022, MSC Cruises signed a multi year deal with Formula 1 to become their official cruise partner. They were the title sponsor of the 2023 Belgian Grand Prix. In January 2023, MSC Cruises announced a new multi year partnership agreement with the New York Knicks. The deal gets MSC promotion during Knicks home games, including LED signage, virtual on court signage, and the opportunity to serve as the presenting partner during in game t shirt tosses.

In December 2015, MSC Cruises signed a 100 year lease for the private island of Ocean Cay in the Bahamas to develop the land for an exclusive island experience. The site had previously been used to mine white Aragonite sand for decades, and after the original owners abandoned the 95 acre island, the land had to be restored to remove all of the old mining equipment, with MSC Cruises committing $200 million for the project involving restoration and conversion of the island into a private resort. The restoration required the work of many scientists to bring the area back into a functioning marine habitat. And, once the Bahamian government granted the site marine reserve status, the project was then officially named the Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve and was set to open in mid November 2019, but weather delays pushed the date to 5 December 2019.

Ship Built Builder Joined MSC Gross tonnage Left MSC Notes Image 1938 Nederlandsche Scheepsbouw Maatschappij 1965 24,377 1979 Built for Netherland Line as the MS Oranje. Sank after catching fire in 1979. 1947 Scheepsbouw Maatschappij De Schelde, Vlissingen 1965 23,629 1994 Built for Royal Rotterdam Lloyd as the MS Willem Ruys. Sank after catching fire in 1994. 1952 Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corp. 1989 20,000 2006 Originally known as SS Free State Mariner. Previously Monterey for Matson Lines and Monterey for Aloha Pacific Cruises. Scrapped in 2007. 1951 Swan Hunter and Wigham Richardson 1994 16,000 2000 Previously Provence for SGTM Line and Enrico C for Costa Cruises. Scrapped in 2001. Rhapsody 1977 Burmeister & Wain 1995 17,095 2009 Previously Cunard Conquest and Cunard Princess for Cunard Line. Scrapped in 2022. MS Melody 1982 CNIM (La Seyne sur Mer) 1997 35,143 2013 Previously Atlantic for Home Lines and StarShip Atlantic for Premier Cruise Line. Scrapped in 2018.