Watson Farley & Williams (“WFW”) advised MSC Cruises (“MSC”) on the financing of the seventh and eighth ships in its World Class series, to be built by long‑standing shipyard partner Chantiers de l’Atlantique in France and delivered in 2030 and 2031, respectively.
The new vessels follow recent construction milestones for the MSC World Asia and MSC World Atlantic, bringing MSC’s World Class fleet to a total of eight ships. Construction on the newly ordered vessels is scheduled to commence in 2029, marking the next significant phase of one of the cruise industry’s largest and most ambitious large‑ship newbuild programmes.
MSC Cruises, headquartered in Geneva, is one of the world’s largest and fastest‑growing cruise operators. The World Class series represents a central pillar of its long‑term fleet expansion strategy, focussed on high‑capacity, next‑generation vessels built through MSC’s multi‑decade collaboration with Chantiers de l’Atlantique.
The WFW Dubai Assets and Structured Finance team that advised MSC was led by Dubai Partner Emily Widdrington, supported by Senior Associate Phil Chope, Associate Lottie Lymer and Trainee Alex Carter. London Partner Richard Stephens advised on tax matters.
Emily commented: “We are delighted to support the financing of two two ships as part of the next significant step in MSC Cruises’ World‑class newbuild programme. WFW’s extensive experience in cruise sector transactions allow us to deliver meaningful value on complex, large‑scale shipbuilding projects and we are proud to continue supporting MSC as it advances one of the most ambitious fleet expansion strategies in the industry”.
