Today in Monfalcone Explora Journeys, the new cruise brand luxury of the MSC group, has taken delivery from Fincantieri of its first ship, delivery that was delayed by verification the safety certification of insulating panels supplied by the Finnish manufacturer Paroc and installed on the unit which is was resolved with positive tests carried out in the days last in Genoa ( of 10 July 2023). The new ship Explora I, which was realized with an investment of over 500 million euros, is The first of four luxury units to be built From the Italian navalmeccanico group. 'The four ships of Explora Journeys - highlighted Pierfrancesco Vago, executive chairman of the Cruise Division of the MSC group, on the occasion of the delivery - will see an investment of 2.3 billion euros able to generate an impact on the Italian economy of over 10 billion of euro, thus making a significant contribution to prospects for the development of the country. In terms of employment - has specified Vago - the construction of each individual ship requires over seven million working hours and the average employment is of 2,500 people for two to three years."

The CEO of Fincantieri, Pierroberto Folgiero, pointed out that "the class "Explora" scores in Clear and distinctive development guideline for Fincantieri. Compared to the entry into the cruise market of luxury, in fact - explained Folgiero - this ship represents a Project that will climb multiple steps in the approach to the ship of the future: from the most modern solutions of Selective catalytic reduction and high-efficiency systems We will switch, for the next units, to natural gas liquefied, up to the use of hydrogen. This Parabola testifies to the evolution of our group from producer to enabler of the energy transition in shipbuilding".

Explora I will leave on the first of August for its maiden voyage from Copenhagen, Denmark. The ship will spend several weeks in Northern Europe offering a series of itineraries and will then cross the Atlantic Ocean to spend the winter in North America and the Caribbean Sea before return to Europe in the summer of 2024 for some cruises in the Mediterranean.

The second ship of Explora Journeys, Explora II, currently under construction at the Fincantieri shipyard in Genoa Sestri Ponente, will enter service in August of 2024. This will be followed by Explora III, which will be the first of Two ships powered by liquefied natural gas to join of the company's fleet with delivery scheduled for 2026, while the following year the delivery of Explora IV will take place.