MSC Cruises has just confirmed to ALSTOM a contract for the construction of two 1650 cabin cruise ships, following a letter of intent signed in June this year.

These new liners will be among the largest ever ordered by a cruise-ship owner, with a length of 333 metres and a width of 38 metres. They will each have a capacity of up to 3887 passengers and more than 1300 crew members.

The first ship will be delivered in spring 2008 and the second in spring 2009. They will be built in the shipyard of Chantiers de l’Atlantique (France), a subsidiary of ALSTOM.

“This largest ever firm order won by Chantiers de l’Atlantique is a true demonstration of MSC Cruises’ confidence in our capabilities”, said Patrick Boissier, President of ALSTOM’s Marine Sector; “we are proud to contribute to the impressive growth of MSC in the cruise market worldwide”.

ALSTOM Marine previously built two 800 cabin cruise ships for MSC Cruises, MSC Lirica and MSC Opera, delivered respectively in March 2003 and May 2004. Two other 1,275 cabin cruise ships, MSC Musica and MSC Orchestra, are currently under construction at the Chantiers de l’Atlantique’s shipyard of Saint-Nazaire (France) and will be delivered for the 2006 and 2007 seasons.