MSC Cruises held a double celebration at the Chantiers de I’Atlantique shipyard in Saint Nazaire, France, and made a major announcement. The cruise line and the shipyard celebrated the float out of MSC World Asia and the coin ceremony of MSC World Atlantic while also announcing the order of two additional World Class ships, numbers 7 and 8, to be delivered in 2030 and 2031, bringing MSC Cruises’ fleet to 29 ships.
Pierfrancesco Vago, Executive Chairman, Cruise Division, MSC Group, said, “We mark a proud moment today for MSC Cruises and Chantiers de l’Atlantique as we celebrate important milestones for our future – the float out of MSC World Asia, the coin ceremony of MSC World Atlantic and the order of two new ships. The World Class platform is a symbol of our vision to set new standards for the future of cruising. These are some of the most energy efficient ships in the world and we continue our commitment to LNG, ensuring we are ready for future renewable fuels. We look forward to continuing with our innovative and successful collaboration with Chantiers de L’Atlantique – our long-term partner for more than 20 years.”
Currently, MSC Cruises has World Class vessels MSC World Europa and MSC World America sailing in the Mediterranean and Caribbean respectively. MSC World Asia and MSC World Atlantic are currently under construction at the French shipyard to debut in 2026 and 2027. World Class 5 and 6 are scheduled to enter service in 2029 and 2030, and now World Class 7 and 8 have been ordered.
Laurent Castaing, General Manager, Chantiers de l’Atlantique, said, “We are deeply grateful to MSC Cruises for their renewed confidence. What our shipyard is achieving today is truly exceptional — four new ships ordered in 2025! The World Class series, now totaling eight vessels, is a testament to our teams’ expertise and to MSC’s vision. It exemplifies our shared commitment to elevating the passenger experience while advancing environmental performance.”
MSC Cruises’ World Class ships are some of the largest in the industry weighing in at almost 216,000 gross tons. At full capacity, each World Class ship can carry 6,700 passengers along with 2,100 crew members. World Class ships are also all powered by liquified natural gas.
When MSC World Asia begins sailing in November 2026, she will offer 7-night sailings throughout the Western Mediterranean, MSC World Atlantic will offer Caribbean sailings from Port Canaveral when she debuts in 2027.
As per industry standards, the new ships are subject to financing.