MSC Preziosa

300px MSC Preziosa, April 2014
History
Name:	MSC Preziosa
Operator:	MSC Cruises
Port of registry:	Panama
Route:	Mediterranean
Cost:	$550 million
In service:	March 2013
Identification:	IMO number: 9595321
Status:	Operational
General characteristics
Class & type:	Fantasia-class cruise ship
Tonnage:	139,072 GT
Length:	1,092.5 ft (332.99 m)
Beam:	124.7 ft (38.01 m)
Height:	219.2 ft (66.81 m)
Draft:	27.2 ft (8.29 m)
Decks:	18 total, 13 passenger decks
Installed power:	Diesel (40,000kW)
Propulsion:	Twin propellers
Speed:	23.7 knots (43.9 km/h; 27.3 mph)
Capacity:	3,959 passengers (double) 4,345 passengers (maximum)
Crew:	1,370 crew
Notes:	17 elevators, post-Panamax

MSC Preziosa is Fantasia-class cruise ship owned and operated by MSC Cruises. She entered service in March, 2013. The fourth ship in her class, she is an enhanced version of her first two class member ships, MSC Splendida and MSC Fantasia and identical to the previous MSC Divina.

History

On June 4, 2010 a letter of intent was signed between STX France and Libyan state-owned company General National Maritime Transport Corporation (GNMTC), to build one cruise ship similar to Fantasia and Splendida. Nominally named Phoenicia the vessel was to have a 120-ton shark aquarium integrated into the design, as specified by Hannibal Gaddafi, son of Libya's leader at the time. During construction, the Libyan civil war broke out on 15 February 2011. In June 2011, STX France canceled the contract, and began looking for a new buyer of the hull. On March 13, 2012, MSC announced it had reached an agreement to buy the ship for 550 million euros with specification to be identical to MSC Divina naming the vessel Preziosa. A year later, the Preziosa was delivered to MSC Cruises.

Specifications and Amenities

Preziosa is long, the moulded breadth of the hull 37.92 meters and the draught at 8.45 meters. She accommodates up to 4,363 passengers with a crew complement of 1,325. She has 13 passenger decks, which contain 1,310 outside cabins and 327 inside cabins. Her speed is quoted at 23 knots (43 km/h; 26 mph).

The ship has 14 passenger decks and 1,751 staterooms. 80% of the rooms have an ocean view with 95% of the ocean view staterooms having a veranda. The cabins range from balcony cabins, ocean view cabins, inside cabins and cabins for people with disabilities. All rooms are furnished with a double bed with easy conversion into two single beds. Standard amenities include interactive television, mini bar, safe and air conditioning.

Public facilities include seven restaurants, 20 bars and lounges, four swimming pools, a bowling alley and a gymnasium. A Spa is located on deck 14. The theatre accommodates 1,600 guests. The sports arena offers sports as basketball, volleyball, tennis and a 235m jogging track. A Smurf-themed play area is located on deck 15 in a dedicated children's area.

Preziosa and her identical sister ship Divina have more powerful and efficient electric propulsion motors, more efficient alternators and more advanced heating, ventilation & air conditioning controls and chillers than her predecessors in the class. Rolls-Royce folding fin stabilizers are fitted to reduce roll while cruising.

The ship's drivetrain is the more efficient diesel/electric, powered by five Wärtsilä diesel engines. The engines produce low NOx emissions, using low-sulphur fuel. The engines turn alternators producing electricity. Propulsion is by two GE Energy Power Conversion electric motors with each giving 21,850 kW at 138 rpm. Redundancy is provided, with the two fully independent electric motors each turning a fixed propeller on conventional propeller shafts. The two propellers are fully independent ensuring propulsion if one fails. The same approach was applied to the two fully independent steering systems. Further advantage of using electric motors to turn the propellers is in small sunshine ports. Each propeller is controlled individually, and quickly, for ease of ship manoeuvrability along with the four bow thrusters. The need for tugs while in the many ports of call is greatly reduced. Two of the five engines have 16 cylinders each with an output of 16,800 kW, and the remaining three engines have 12 cylinders each producing 12,600 kW. Total power generated is 71,400 kW at 514 rpm.

Incinerators are used for burning waste. The ashes are stored onboard and removed when in port. The waste heat from the incineration is reclaimed. Solid waste is not discharged into the sea. An advanced waste water treatment plant treats all solid waste. The hull is treated with an anti-fouling coating system preventing hull fouling reducing drag and improving fuel consumption.

Energy savings from innovative technology was introduced significantly reducing greenhouse gas production. Energy saving LED lighting is used throughout the ship. In the cabins an average energy saving of 25% is achieved. A simple system automatically switches all energy using devices off in the cabins, such as the main light, bathroom light, socket-outlets and hair dryers whenever the cabin is empty. A Cabin Monitoring System regulates air conditioning in all cabins allowing guests to set their own cabin temperature. Centralized air-conditioning control is replaced with local cabin control significantly reducing energy waste. The control extends to when the balcony door is open or the cabin card is not in place the cooling system is switched off.

A sea water distillation plant produces all the fresh water needed onboard using two evaporators and two reverse osmosis plants. The ship does not pump onboard water from shore water stations. The highly efficient evaporators are completely pollution free using a system of free heat recovery as the power source.

Destinations

The pre-inaugural voyage started from St. Nazaire and ended in Genoa. She called in Lisbon (Portugal), Cadiz (Spain), Casablanca (Morocco), Valencia (Spain), and Marseille (France), before arriving in the port of Genoa (Italy) on Friday 22 March.

Between March and October, MSC Preziosa was scheduled to operate on Mediterranean cruises from Genoa.

Between winter 2013 and spring 2014, MSC Preziosa was operating on South America cruises from Santos.

In the summer of 2015, MSC "Preziosa" is calling Marseille (France), Genoa (Italy), Civitavecchia (Italy), Palermo (Italy), Cagliari (Italy), previously Tunis, Palma (Spain) and Valencia (Spain).

External links

• Official website
• "On board: verdict on Gaddafi's $697 million luxury liner" – review in The Sydney Morning Herald of a cruise on the MSC Preziosa.
• "Tasting plate of the Med" – review in The Australian of a cruise on the MSC Preziosa.