Shipping company MSC Cruises has launched a new luxury brand, Explora Journeys, and yesterday celebrated the first sheet metal cutting of its second ship, EXPLORA II, which is expected to welcome the first guests on board in the spring of 2024. Today’s event follows in just three months the launch of the Explora Journeys brand and the start of construction of the first ship, EXPLORA I, which will enter service in May 2023. Two additional new ships will enter the fleet in 2025 and 2026 Thus Pierfrancesco Vago, Executive Chairman of the Cruise Division of the MSC group: “We place great trust in this brand, to create a new category in luxury travel”.
All four Explora Journeys ships will be built in Italy by Fincantieri and today, at the shipyard of Castellammare di Stabia, in the Gulf of Naples, the traditional ceremony of cutting the first sheet of the second unit took place.
The event was attended by the main managers of the two companies, including Pierfrancesco Vago, Executive Chairman of the Cruise Division of the MSC Group, Michael Ungerer, CEO Explora Journeys, and Luigi Matarazzo, General Manager of the Merchant Ships Division of Fincantieri.
The trend of the sector in the world
The Covid-19 epidemic caused the suspension of the cruise activity from March 2020, with the consequent stop of the fleet and the zeroing of revenues for the shipping companies. According to the global association of cruise lines CLIA (Cruise Lines International Association), 2020 closed with 5.8 million passengers transported, almost exclusively totaled in the first quarter, even in the face of occupancy rates well below 100% (30- 70%) having to respect the rules on spacing.
In Europe, a first restart of cruises took place at the end of summer 2020, i) with few ships, ii) in national or homogeneous areas for destinations and passengers’ nationality and iii) with modest ship occupancy rates. The spread of the second wave of Covid-19 then again stopped the sector.
The restart of the sector remains linked to the heterogeneous trend of the pandemic between countries, to the different health provisions of the individual states and to the diffusion of the vaccination campaign. The attitude towards the introduction or not of the vaccination obligation by cruise lines is almost generalized.
In general, starting from the end of May 2021, there has been a gradual resumption of cruises:
– the restart was led by Europe (Italy and Germany in the first place), one of the most mature markets, mainly through cruises “with a national connotation”, but with progressive extensions of the itineraries in the international context (eg: Mediterranean), in compliance with strict health protocols, with a reduced level of capacity saturation and limitations in shore visits.
– in the United Kingdom, the resumption of cruises was authorized from May 17, 2021, imposing a reduced capacity: maximum 1,000 guests (50% of the capacity, if less), all resident in the United Kingdom. The 1,000-passenger limit was lifted in late June.
– Australia remains the only market still completely closed not only for cruises.
– in the United States, despite pressure from industry and some political parties, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has not revoked the Conditional Sailing Orders – CSO, whose deadline would be November 1, 2021.
CDC has issued guidance for cruise ship “test trips” with voluntary passengers (occupancy rate of no less than 10% of ship capacity) to be undertaken before starting the official season. The simulation can only be avoided if 95% of the crew and passengers are vaccinated. Furthermore, autonomous shore excursions are prohibited, however limited to passengers and crew of the same ship. When stopping on a private island, only one ship is allowed in port at a time.
The major companies (Carnival, RCL, NCL) have gradually received the authorization to travel for specific ships / itineraries, effectively introducing a vaccination obligation. The remaining 5% of unvaccinated passengers, including children under the age of 12, are required to undergo swabs prior to the cruise, boarding and disembarkation. At the end of May 2021, Alaska authorized the resumption of cruises, without touching in Canadian ports. And in mid-July, Canada authorized the resumption of cruises from 1 November 2021, revoking the provision that established the closure of ports to international cruise ships until January 2022.