MSC Virtuosa

MSC CRUISES

MSC Cruises launches the second of its Meraviglia-Plus class ships, where sustainable innovation and immersive technotainment take centrestage.

Words: Alicia Sheber • Photography: © Ivan Sarfatti

The maiden voyage of MSC Virtuosa marked not only a milestone in MSC Cruises’ strides towards sustainable innovation and immersive ‘technotainment’ experiences, it was also the first cruise ship to sail from the UK as Covid-19 lockdown regulations eased. In addition, the new flagship was the first in the world to be awarded with Bureau Veritas’ Biorisk certification for its ability to mitigate and manage infectious disease risk for passengers. Originally slated to take its maiden voyage in November 2020 from Genoa, the delay instigated a series of trial runs of three- and four-night British Isles cruises to determine how sailing could coexist with Covid, taking precautions such as a 1,000-guest cap on a ship designed to hold 6,300.

With construction already well under way by the time Covid forced a complete shutdown of the sector, there was little impact on the design and fit-out. “We didn’t have to adapt our design for Covid-19 restrictions, although we did enhance MSC Virtuosa’s air conditioning system to incorporate special filters,” confirms Trevor Young, Vice President New Building, MSC Cruises, adding that social distancing and limited numbers in venues were possible thanks to the ship’s generous size.

At 330 metres long, 65 metres high and 181,500GT, MSC Virtuosa is the fourth ship in the group’s Meraviglia generation and, with its sister ship MSC Grandiosa, is the second in the Meraviglia-Plus class, featuring more cabins and public spaces along with splashier restaurants, bars and entertainment hotspots. Commissioned in 2016, Virtuosa – derived from the word virtuoso – was named to honour the skill and expertise of the MSC Cruises architects and shipyard partners at Les Chantiers de l’Atlantique, who together developed the techforward design.

“The most architecturally advanced feature is the impressive Mediterranean-style promenade at the heart of the ship,” says Young. The design features a 100m-long open promenade with an LED sky dome that, according to MSC, is the largest at sea. Orchestrated sound and light shows enliven or calm energy levels along with messages to welcome guests and announce events. The two-deck arcade comprises 1,168m2 of retail space, which, with 11 boutiques and over 250 brands is reportedly the largest shopping area on any cruise ship. Food and drink venues line the walkway – a smattering of the ship’s 10 restaurants and 21 bars – with live music and dancing spilling into the passageway.

Combining French and Asian influences, the ship’s Indochine restaurant features dining chairs upholstered by Yarwood Leather in its anti-bacterial Dollaro fabric

The dining offer includes a steakhouse, a sushi bar, a Mexican cantina and Indochine restaurant, where French and Asian influences can be seen in the floorcoverings, artwork and dining chairs, the latter upholstered by Yarwood Leather in its highperformance anti-bacterial Dollaro collection. Bars meanwhile include the Attic Club, Sky Lounge and an elegant wine bar, though the star attraction is the MSC Starship Club featuring Rob, the first-ever humanoid bartender at sea. With numerous cocktails in his repertoire, the multilingual robotic mixologist takes orders from touchscreens throughout the spaceage lounge. Rob’s arms are programmed to find the precise liquors, mixers and garnishes to concoct tipples in souvenir glasses, while his LED eyes change shape to form facial expressions as he makes small talk about his love of bartending or imaginary planets. According to Luca Pronzati, MSC’s Chief Business Innovation Officer, the group began working on robotics and automation in 2015, with the aim being to develop an immersive combination of technology and entertainment. Individual elements such as robotic arms capable of shaking cocktails already existed, he says, but they wanted to create something never seen before on a cruise ship. Robotics and automation experts were commissioned to invent a bartender that operates more like a human, with two arms working collaboratively to prepare cocktails, overcoming the added complication of stability on the rolling seas.

“This was a huge engineering challenge that really pushed the boundaries as the programming and operation needed to be accurate within tenths of a millimetre to ensure there were no spillages,” Pronzati explains. “We also wanted Rob to have a human-like personality, not just a cold machine, meaning he needed to speak as well as have a face.” This meant each of Rob’s eight spoken languages had to be programmed and then tweaked to ensure the voice matched the expressions.

The group’s innovation extends into its sustainable design and engineering approaches too. “When we design a ship, we always bear in mind that its lifecycle at sea will be around 20-30 years, so we try to envision what the future might look like,” says Young. “We consider sustainable products with the aim of avoiding or minimising replacement material.” One finish MSC

uses for lower-impact design is marble-effect ceramic, which negates the need for actual marble extraction whilst reducing the ship’s weight to consume less fuel.

Virtuosa’s forward-looking infrastructure helps address the environmental challenges of megaships. A hybrid exhaust gas cleaning system achieves a 98% reduction of sulphur oxide emissions, while shore-to-ship power capabilities connect the vessel to local grids in port to reduce engine emissions in urban areas. A wastewater treatment system has purification standards higher than most facilities ashore, and beneath the water line, noise management minimises acoustic impact on marine life. On board the ship, energyefficient features including LED lighting and smart air conditioning reduce and optimise engine use, and there’s also an advanced waste management centre that sorts Virtuosa’s 20-35 cubic metres of daily waste into seven categories to be shredded, compacted or densified before being recycled.

Looking ahead, MSC is investigating cuttingedge sustainable technologies to help reach its long-term goal of zero-emissions cruising. “In 2020, we signed a memorandum of understanding with Chantiers de l’Atlantique to develop an innovative prototype ship class concept exploring the opportunities that wind power and other advanced technologies could bring to passenger shipping,” says Linden Coppell, Director of Sustainability, MSC Cruises. The operator also participates in industry research exploring the use of hybrid hydrogen/ liquified natural gas (LNG)-powered vessels.

“We are well on track to meet the IMO’s 2030 40% intensity reduction target and we have reaffirmed our longstanding commitment to sustainability by pledging to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions in our cruise marine operation by 2050,” adds Coppell.

MSC Cruises’ 18-strong fleet is set to increase to 23 by 2025, including the third Meraviglia Plus-class ship, MSC Europa, in 2022, with options for six vessel orders through 2030. ON DECK Maiden Voyage: November 2021 Owner: Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) Operator: MSC Cruises Shipyard: Chantiers de l’Atlantique www.msccruises.com