This morning in Saint-Nazaire, France, MSC Divina was officially delivered to MSC Cruises at the STX France shipyard.
During the traditional flag ceremony, the shipyard’s pennant and the French flag were lowered, accompanied by the French national anthem, before Laurent Castaing, General Manager of STX France, formally handed the ship over to MSC Cruises’ owner Gianluigi Aponte. Mr Aponte then gave command of the ship to Captain Giuliano Bossi, and the flags of Italy and MSC Cruises were raised to the sound of the Italian national anthem. Erminio Eschena, General Director of MSC Cruises France, Belgium and Luxembourg, was also in attendance.
MSC Divina is 1,094 feet long, 124 feet wide, and weighing 139,400 tons, the 3,502-guest luxury cruise ship is able to travel up to 23 knots, offering smooth cruising in sumptuous surroundings.
Her elegant design is once again the work of award-winning naval architects De Jorio Design International. New features to MSC Divina’s 322,900 square feet of public areas include the Garden Pool, an “infinity” style pool with a chic and minimal design and its four “resounding sculptures,” to the Galaxy restaurant in the disco with its fabulous Mediterranean fusion cuisine and its chic décor, based around the theme of light.
After the closing of the flag ceremony, MSC Divina today began her pre-christening cruise from Saint-Nazaire, where calls are scheduled at Lisbon, Portugal, on Monday, Cadiz, Spain on Tuesday, and Valencia, Spain on Thursday. She will reach the port of Marseille on Friday, May 25, ready for her official christening ceremony the next day. The highlight of the event will be the cutting of the ribbon and the naming of the ship by screen legend Sophia Loren.
Source: MSC Cruises
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