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Gianni Onorato News

10 Aug 2020

MSC Will Resume Cruises on August 16

MSC Grandiosa (Photo: MSC Cruises)

Switzerland-based MSC Cruises announced Monday that it will resume "full-experience" cruise operations on select ships in the Mediterranean starting from mid-August.The cruise lines flagship MSC Grandiosa will sail in the West Mediterranean from August 16 and MSC Magnifica in the West Mediterranean from August 29. The ships will be the first to implement a new health and safety protocol that has been approved by the relevant national authorities along the ships’ itineraries.Pierfrancesco Vago…

23 Dec 2018

MSC Cruises Partners with Top German Chef

The world's largest privately held cruise company MSC Cruises has today announced a new partnership with renowned German chef Harald Wohlfahrt.Voted one of the Top 10 Chefs in the World, and the only German chef to hold a three Michelin Star rating for 25 years in a row, Chef Wohlfahrt represents the best of Germany’s cuisine and embodies MSC Cruises’ commitment to offering new and exciting food options for its guests. Gianni Onorato, MSC Cruises Chief Executive Officer, commented: “The world-class expertise of Chef Wohlfahrt brings an exciting new chapter to our onboard dining experience. Working with partners who embody excellence and innovation…

29 Apr 2018

MSC Bellissima to Deploy in Asia in 2020

MSC Cruises, the world’s largest privately-owned cruise line as well as leading cruise brand in Europe and South America, announced that MSC Bellissima will be deployed in Asia in Spring 2020. She will become MSC Cruises’ newest flagship for the region. MSC Bellissima, MSC Cruises’ second Meraviglia-class ship, is currently being constructed at STX France’s shipyard in Saint-Nazaire and is due to first come into service in March 2019. Following her inaugural season in the Mediterranean next summer, MSC Bellissima will bring a range of cutting-edge innovations to China and Japan, including the longest LED Sky Screen at Sea at 80 metres long encompassing a stunning 96 metre long Mediterranean-style promenade, designed to become the social hub of the ship.

02 Feb 2017

Coin Ceremony for MSC Seaview

Photo: FINCANTIERI

Cruise line MSC Cruises and shipbuilder FINCANTIERI today marked a milestone in the building of MSC Seaview with the celebration of the traditional coin ceremony, held at FINCANTIERI’s Monfalcone shipyard in Italy. MSC Seaview is the third next-generation mega cruise ship that will come into service under MSC Cruises’ 10-year investment plan through 2026. The coin ceremony takes place when a ship’s keel is laid, at the early stages of its construction. Tradition dictates that two long-standing employees representing the shipyard and the ship owner…

13 Jun 2016

MSC Cruises, Marlink Enhance Guest Connectivity

MSC Cruises, a privately-owned cruise line and market leader in Europe, South America and South Africa announced that it has worked together with Marlink – the pioneer of business critical communication solutions for customers operating in remote environments – to launch a next-generation connectivity for MSC Cruises’ fleet with multi-band VSAT services. Working with Marlink, MSC Cruises will provide dynamic bandwidth to its 12 existing ships as well as the next-generation ships currently under construction, including MSC Meraviglia and MSC Seaside. No matter the itinerary of the ships, the bandwidth will be able to accommodate seasonal fluctuations…

21 Apr 2016

Fincantieri Hosts Coin Ceremony for MSC Seaside

Photo: Fincantieri

Cruise shipping company MSC Cruises and shipbuilder Fincantieri today marked a milestone in the building of MSC Cruises’ latest newbuild MSC Seaside with the celebration of the traditional maritime coin ceremony held at the Monfalcone, Italy shipyard. The first of up to two MSC Cruises’ next-generation Seaside class of smart ships is set to come into service in December 2017 and will sail year-round from Miami to the Caribbean. MSC Seaside is part of the company’s 10-plus years…

06 Apr 2016

MSC Cruises Orders Four More Ships from STX

MSC Magnifica, which entered service in 2010, was built by STX for MSC (Photo: STX)

French shipyard STX has secured an order for up to four more ships from MSC Cruises, in a 3.6 billion-euro ($4.1 billion) deal announced on Wednesday. MSC Cruises, part of privately owned shipping group MSC, has in recent years been the main customer for STX France, which is based at the Atlantic port of Saint-Nazaire. The two companies signed a letter of intent for the order at a ceremony on Wednesday at the Elysee palace in Paris, reflecting the importance placed on the investment for French President Francois Hollande who is struggling to bring down unemployment.

14 Dec 2015

MSC to Start Cuba Cruise Operation

MSC Cruises will this week become the first major liner to start operations in Cuba, part of its efforts to grow a global presence, the Swiss group's chief executive said. U.S. President Barack Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro announced a year ago they would work toward a normalisation of relations after half a century of Cold War hostility, although a U.S. trade embargo of Cuba remains in place. Privately-owned MSC Cruises, the world's fourth biggest line, said while its cruises were not currently being offered to U.S. customers, bookings by Europeans and Canadians had been "above our estimations". "Out of the main four global cruise lines in the world…

03 Sep 2015

MSC Cruise to Homeport in China

MSC Cruises has announced that the MSC Lirica will homeport in Shanghai to serve the Chinese cruise market, through a strategic partnership with CAISSA Touristic Group. The 2,600 passenger MSC Lirica will home port in Shanghai from May 2016 following a 60-day round the world Grand Voyage, which leaves from Rio de Janeiro in Brazil on March 3. After that voyage, the ship will homeport in Shanghai, maintaining a high percentage of native Mandarin speaking guest-facing crew and providing guests with all services in Mandarin. It will also offer popular as well as high-end Chinese cuisine as well as more traditional and popular entertainments. MSC will become the fourth international cruise brand to market cruises to the Chinese.

23 Jun 2015

Fincantieri Cuts Steel for MSC Seaside

Geneva-based MSC Cruises S.A., and Fincantieri, today cut the first steel for its new generation of ship, MSC Seaside. In a ceremony held at Fincantieri’s shipyard in Monfalcone, Italy, MSC Cruises’ Executive Chairman Pierfrancesco Vago and Chief Executive Officer, Gianni Onorato, along with Fincantieri’s Chief Executive Officer Giuseppe Bono launched the cutting of the first steel of MSC Seaside. MSC Cruises’ Executive Chairman Pierfrancesco Vago said: “Today, we have witnessed the beginning of the work on an extraordinary new ship, MSC Seaside. It is a ship that revolutionizes industry standards, with an audacious and innovative design that brings guests and sea closer.

18 Mar 2015

MSC Cruises to Debut Seaside Class in 2017

Image courtesy of MSC Cruises

MSC Cruises announced that the first of its next generation Seaside class of ships, set to debut in November 2017, will be named MSC Seaside and sail year-round from Miami to the Caribbean. Following the first ship's delivery from the shipyard, MSC Seaside will make her way to Miami for MSC Cruises' first ever christening ceremony in the U.S. to take place in late 2017. "The Seaside class of ships is part of MSC Cruises' $5.3 billion fleet expansion plan that will allow the company to double its capacity by 2022…

30 Jan 2015

31st Edition of Cruise Shipping Miami

Cruise Shipping Miami 2015 is gearing up to offer the most comprehensive and robust roster of panel discussions featuring the industry's most knowledgeable and experienced executives. The panels will be grouped under several broad themes based on industry trends during the four-day conference. The 31st edition of Cruise Shipping Miami is scheduled for March 16-19 at the Miami Beach Convention Center. Organized by UBM Connect, thematic topics include The Geography of Cruise Tourism, Safety and Ship Operations, Market Segments and Cruise Product Development. On Tuesday morning, March 17, the conference will open with the popular State of the Industry session. Participants in that plenary session will be announced in the coming weeks. This program may be subject to alterations and additions.

26 May 2014

MSC Cruises Order Two 154,000 gt Cruise Ships

MSC Cruises informs it has signed a contract with Fincantieri for the construction of two new cruise ships with an option for one more. The two ships will join MSC Cruises' 12 strong cruise ship fleet. The contract was signed at the Palazzo Chigi in Rome between MSC Cruises and Fincantieri in the presence of MSC Cruises Executive Chairman Pierfrancesco Vago and CEO Gianni Onorato, and Fincantieri CEO Giuseppe Bono. The new prototype will be named "Seaside" and will be the largest cruise ship ever built by Fincantieri. Its innovative features will make it unique, say MSC, in the shipbuilding industry. The two ships will lead the way for a new generation of cruise ships that will be completely different from an architectural point of view.

23 Dec 2013

MSC Lirica-class Cruise Ships to be Up-Sized

Lirica-class ship: Image credit MSC

MSC Cruises says that its multi-million euro 'renaissance programme' will involve all four of its Lirica class ships over the next two years in major upgrades, lengthening, at Fincantieri shipyards in Italy. The almost €200 million  programme is due to be complete by 2015. The "renaissance" of MSC Armonia, MSC Lirica, MSC Sinfonia and MSC Opera, the owners say, will add exciting new entertainment options, technological advancements, extended shops and up to nearly 200 new cabins per ship.

30 Aug 2013

MSC Cruises Appoint Gianni Onorato CEO

Gianni Onorato: Photo credit MSC

Gianni Onorato will become the new Chief Executive Officer of the company, effective 2 September 2013. With almost 30 years’ experience in the cruise industry, Onorato has a thorough understanding of the cruise business and extensive experience in senior executive leadership, serving as President of Costa Crociere for over nine years. He graduated from the Istituto Orientale of Naples with a degree in Foreign Languages and Literatures in 1983, and specialized in business administration at SDA Bocconi in Milan and INSEAD in Fontainebleau.

11 Dec 2012

New Costa Cruise Ship: First Block Placed Down

Costa Cruise Ship First Building Block Hoisted: Photo credit Fincantieri

Construction work begins in Fincantieri's Margher Shipyard on the cruise ship 'Costa Diadema'. Weighing in at 132,500 gross tonnage and with accommodation for a total of 4,947 guests, this will be the biggest Italian-flagged cruise ship afloat. She is the 10th Costa ship built by Fincantieri in Italy since 2000, with a total investment worth almost 5 billion euros. The building and fitting-out, which are due for completion at the end of October 2014, will employ around 3,500 workers and 400 contracted suppliers.

18 Sep 2012

Cruise Conference Notes Asia Port Infrastructure Shortfall

Second annual Cruise Shipping Asia-Pacific conference opens in Singapore with State of Asia Cruise Industry panel discussions. Gianni Onorato, president of Costa Crociere, noted that port infrastructure in Asia is still lacking, along with consumer education. "The major issue here is to explain what cruising is to the customers," said Onorato. "The second challenge is how to offer destinations and itineraries that can be reached in a competitive way cost-wise. We have a number of major homeports in the region, but they need other ports of call that are able to accommodate ships. Today, this is not the case and one of the major obstacles to growth. Onorato noted that since 2006, Costa has invested tens of millions of euros in China in distribution and advertising.

31 May 2011

Posidonia Sea Tourism Forum for Greece

Posidonia Forum on Onassis Cultural Centre

The potential for sea tourism and its significance as a key factor in the development of the economies of Greece, the Eastern Mediterranean and the Black Sea region will be examined in depth during the Posidonia Sea Tourism Forum, scheduled to take place 21-22 June 2011 at the prestigious Onassis Cultural Centre in Athens. The forum will focus on three key areas of sea tourism: cruise shipping, the yachting industry and inter-island and passenger shipping. The first Posidonia Sea Tourism Forum comes at a time when this form of tourism is showing rapid growth globally…

15 Jun 2011

Growth in the Cruise Industry Sector

According to figures issued today in Brussels by the European Cruise Council, at the official presentation of the sixth edition of the annual report of the European Cruise Contribution, for the year 2010, the European cruise industry continues to provide a major contribution to Europe’s economy as a whole. The cruise industry is the only area of the tourism sector that is enjoying substantial growth:  last year there were some 5.5 million European cruisers (a 10% increase compared to 2009), which works out to approximately 30% of cruise passengers worldwide (18.8 million cruisers). The EU countries with the most cruisers are the UK (1.6 million), Germany (1.2 million), Italy (around 890,000) and Spain (645,000).

15 Nov 2011

Zarmati, CEO of Costa Cruises NA, to Retire

After nearly 43 years in the cruise business, Maurice M. Zarmati is retiring as president and CEO of Costa Cruises North America, effective November 30, 2011. He will remain with the line as a senior consultant on Costa’s worldwide sales, marketing and passenger-traffic initiatives. Zarmati, 65, became president and CEO of Costa Cruises North America in March 2008. He is responsible for sales, marketing, guest services, finance, human resources and revenue management for the North American sales and marketing  headquarters of Europe’s leading cruise company, Costa Crociere S.p.A., based in Genoa, Italy. He reports directly to Costa’s home office.

18 May 2012

Costa Concordia Removal Plan Presented Today In Rome

With Costa Concordia Emergency Commissioner Franco Gabrielli in attendance, Costa Crociere S.p.A. and Italo-American consortium Titan-Micoperi, the winner of the tender tasked with performing the work, today presented their plan to remove the wreck of Costa Concordia from the coast of Giglio Island. Following a conference convened by the commissioner May 15, during which the relevant authorities provided the necessary permits, the work will begin in a few days and is expected to last about 12 months.

18 Nov 2008

Telemedicine on Largest Italian PV

The project, which is the result of the collaboration between Telesal, Costa Cruises, Genoa’s Galliera Hospital, the C.I.R.M. and D’Apollonia, has premiered at the Telemedicine Conference in Rome. The experimental phase, which will be carried out on board the Italian line’s flagship Costa Concordia starting in early 2009, will enable the future real-time delivery of clinical care 24 hours a day even on the high seas. Europe’s first ever experiment in maritime telemedicine on board a large passenger ship has premiered at the Telemedicine Conference held at Rome’s Ospedale San Giovanni Calibita, Fatebenefratelli. The project is the result of the collaboration between Italy and Europe’s number one cruise line Costa Cruises…

13 Mar 2009

Costa Deliziosa Completes Her Technical Launch

Costa Cruises, Italian tourism group and European cruise company, and Fincantieri celebrated the technical launch of the Costa Deliziosa at the Marghera yards: the first time the ship touched the sea flooding the dry-dock where she is under construction. The Costa Deliziosa, the 15th ship of Costa’s fleet with a total tonnage of 92,700 and a capacity of 2,828 passengers, is scheduled to be delivered at the end of January 2010, after completing the interior fitting out operations. Along with her sister ship, the Costa Luminosa, she will be the fleet’s flagship.