MSC Cruises has made its most significant industrial statement in years, quietly but decisively locking in up to six new cruise ships from Germany’s MEYER WERFT in a deal that secures shipyard jobs, stretches delivery schedules into the 2030s and signals how seriously the Swiss-Italian group is playing the long game.
Announced in Berlin — not at a glitzy port launch, but inside the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy the agreement covers four firm vessels and two options, forming the backbone of MSC’s newly minted “New Frontier” class. It is less about spectacle and more about certainty.
For MEYER WERFT, the order fills production slots well into the next decade. For MSC, it locks in capacity at a time when shipbuilding slots are scarce, geopolitical risks are rising, and sustainability expectations are no longer optional.
MSC Cruises Executive Chairman Pierfrancesco Vago framed the partnership as both strategic and symbolic.
“MEYER WERFT’s track record, expertise and proud history make it a true beacon of European shipbuilding,” Vago said. “Together, we will create vessels that redefine the cruise experience while preserving the craftsmanship that keeps Germany at the forefront of maritime engineering.”
That reference to craftsmanship is not accidental. MEYER WERFT, founded more than 230 years ago, is one of the last European yards capable of delivering cruise ships at this scale while operating under increasingly complex environmental rules.
LEFT TO RIGHT FOR SIGNING Pierfrancesco Vago, Executive Chairman of MSC Cruises, Minister President Olaf Lies, Federal
Minister Katherina Reiche, Dennis Rohde, Parliamentary State Secretary – CREDIT copyright Photothek/Dominik Butzmann
The New Frontier vessels will weigh in at around 180,000 gross tonnes, carry up to 5,400 passengers, and be delivered one per year from 2030. They will sit comfortably among the industry’s largest ships, though MSC insists the platform is about flexibility rather than brute size.
Vago said the new class would allow the line to design “new and exclusive itineraries” while incorporating next-generation environmental technologies aligned with MSC’s net-zero 2050 commitment, a language that now comes standard in cruise announcements but is increasingly scrutinised by regulators and ports.
For MEYER WERFT chief executive Dr Bernd Eikens, the deal represents something more immediate: stability.
“This new order marks a significant milestone in the 230-year history of MEYER WERFT,” Eikens said. “This long-term partnership with MSC Cruises ensures sustainable growth and job security for many years to come.”
Those jobs matter. The Papenburg yard directly employs more than 3,200 people, with an estimated 20,000 additional roles across the regional supply chain tied to its operations. In Lower Saxony, where industrial certainty has become politically sensitive, the order landed with obvious relief.
The presence of Federal Minister Katherina Reiche and Lower Saxony Minister-President Olaf Lies at the announcement underscored the deal’s national significance. Cruise ships may carry tourists, but shipyards carry votes.
More broadly, the agreement reinforces Papenburg’s status as a global cruise-building hub, at a time when European heavy manufacturing is under pressure from energy costs, labour shortages and Asian competition.
For MSC, the timing is telling. While rivals tinker at the margins, MSC is committing capital on a scale that assumes cruising will remain not just resilient, but central to global leisure travel for decades to come.
Big ships, long timelines, old yards, it is not a flashy story. But it is a serious one. And in today’s cruise industry, seriousness may be the most underrated luxury of all.
by Michelle Warner – (c) 2025
Read Time: 3 minutes.
About the Writer.
Michelle Warner is a storyteller with jet fuel in her veins — the sort of woman who could turn a long-haul delay into a lesson in patience and prose. She began her career in media publications, learning the craft of sharp sentences and honest storytelling, before trading deadlines for departures as a flight attendant with several major airlines. Years spent at thirty thousand feet gave her a keen eye for human nature and a deep affection for the grace and grit of travellers everywhere.
Now happily grounded, Michelle has returned to her first love, writing, with the same composure she once brought to a turbulent cabin. Her work combines an editor’s precision with a traveller’s curiosity, weaving vivid scenes and subtle humour into stories that honour the golden age of travel writing. Every line is a small act of civility, polished, poised, and unmistakably human.
