Overview
- The new ship was handed over this week at Fincantieri’s Sestri Ponente yard in Genoa, moving Explora to three ships in service under its six‑ship plan funded by MSC Group.
- EXPLORA III is the brand’s first LNG‑capable vessel, built to run on liquefied natural gas and to accept future renewable substitutes such as bio‑LNG and synthetic LNG as they become available.
- The vessel is larger than its predecessors, extended by about 19.2 metres to roughly 268 metres and 72,810 GT, keeping capacity near 922 passengers while increasing suite count and public and wellness space.
- Following delivery the ship began a one‑time Mediterranean Prelude, will be officially named in Barcelona on 1 August, and will sail its maiden seven‑night voyage from Barcelona to Lisbon on 3 August before an inaugural high‑latitude season.
- All six ships are designed and built by Fincantieri in Italy, and EXPLORA III’s shore‑power capability and future‑fuel readiness reflect MSC Group’s wider effort to reduce emissions and phase in cleaner technologies over time.