Johannesburg - An amazing piece of shipbuilding engineering is proceeding according to plan as MSC Cruises stretches its iconic Sinfonia cruise ship by 24m and adds another 193 cabins.
MSC Sinfonia went into dry dock earlier this year as part of MSC Cruises’ €200 million (R2.6bn) Renaissance Programme to renew and enlarge four ships of its 12-strong fleet.
The first ship to be stretched was the Sinfonia’s sister, MSC Armonia, which resumed service in November last year.
It is expected that the MSC Sinfonia will return to South African waters later this year, after extensive sea trials once the stretch has been completed and will carry out MSC’s 2015-16 southern African cruise programme.
The stretching has been done by world-class marine engineers of the Fincantieri yard in Genoa.
They carefully bisected MSC Sinfonia’s hull, after which the two halves of the ships were slowly drawn apart. Then, they inserted a pre-built 2 200 ton, 24m midsection containing 193 extra cabins.
After the stretching was completed, the yard’s workforce turned its attention to the ship’s interior, much of which is being refitted and renewed and, according to MSC, “bringing an enhanced sense of comfort and space” to the Sinfonia. MSC Sinfonia is due to weigh anchor from the shipyard on March 25 and set sail for Genoa, from where she’ll begin for her maiden cruise to Ajaccio, Barcelona and Marseille.
MSC Sinfonia will feature new purpose-built areas for children created in partnership with Chicco and LEGO, and a new Baby Club, Mini Club, Young Club and Teens Club.
MSC Cruises has also reimagined the onboard dining experiences, keeping the buffet open 20 hours a day and installing fresh new dining spaces, a brand new lounge and an extended restaurant.
Many of these features have been included specifically to cater for South African guests.
The ship’s MSC Aurea Spa will also be enriched with additional massage areas and a new outdoor spray park will be added on deck 13, an exciting series of playful water features and jets.
The remainder of the Renaissance Programme will continue this year, with the process on the MSC Opera to run from May to July and the MSC Lirica from the end of August to the beginning of November.
MSC Cruises carries about 40 000 guests a day; however by 2022 it will double its capacity to 80 000 guests a day - 3.4 million per year - once the Renaissance Programme is completed and the last of seven stretched ships has been delivered.
Saturday Star