MSC VIRTUOSA is a large Meraviglia-Plus class cruise ship operated by MSC Cruises. Built in France by Chantiers de l’Atlantique at Saint-Nazaire, she was delivered on 1 February 2021, during the difficult period in which the cruise industry was still recovering from the COVID-19 shutdowns. With a gross tonnage of 181,541 GT, a length of 331.43 metres and accommodation for up to 6,334 passengers, she was one of the largest cruise ships in the MSC fleet when she entered service.
MSC VIRTUOSA is the sister ship of MSC GRANDIOSA and represents the enlarged development of the original Meraviglia-class design. Compared with MSC MERAVIGLIA and MSC BELLISSIMA, the Meraviglia-Plus vessels are approximately 16 metres longer, providing additional cabins and public areas while retaining the characteristic indoor promenade that became one of the defining features of this generation of MSC ships.
Vessel Details
Name: MSC VIRTUOSA
IMO: 9803625
MMSI: 215610000
Call Sign: 9HA5209
Type: Passenger / Cruise Ship
Class: Meraviglia-Plus
Flag: Malta
Port of Registry: Valletta
Built: 2021
Delivered: 1 February 2021
Builder: Chantiers de l’Atlantique, Saint-Nazaire, France
Yard Number: H34
Registered Owner: Vista 4 Compania Naviera S.A.
Operator: MSC Cruises
Commercial Manager: MSC Crociere S.p.A.
Classification: Bureau Veritas
Length Overall: 331.43 m
Beam: 43.00 m
Draught: approx. 8.5–8.8 m
Height: 75.5 m
Gross Tonnage: 181,541 GT
Deadweight: approx. 19,610 t
Decks: 19, including 15 passenger decks
Passenger Cabins: 2,421
Maximum Passenger Capacity: 6,334
Crew: approx. 1,704
Maximum Speed: approx. 22.8 knots
Current Status: Active.
Construction
MSC Cruises ordered the ship as part of the expansion of its successful Meraviglia programme. Her keel was laid on 27 February 2019, she was floated out on 29 November 2019, and construction continued at Saint-Nazaire throughout 2020 despite the disruption caused by the pandemic.
MSC Cruises formally took delivery of MSC VIRTUOSA on 1 February 2021. She was the 16th MSC vessel built in France by Chantiers de l’Atlantique and represented another step in the long-running relationship between the cruise company and the French shipyard.
Her godmother is Sophia Loren, continuing MSC Cruises' long tradition of having the Italian actress perform the naming ceremony for its new ships.
Machinery and Propulsion
MSC VIRTUOSA uses diesel-electric propulsion. Electrical power is generated by four Wärtsilä 46-series medium-speed diesel engines, while propulsion is provided by two ABB Azipod units.
Published technical information gives approximately:
Main generating engines: 4 × Wärtsilä 46-series
Installed power: around 64–67 MW
Propulsion: 2 × ABB Azipods
Propulsion power: approx. 2 × 20 MW
Maximum speed: approx. 22.8 knots.
The ship was also delivered with hybrid exhaust-gas cleaning systems, SCR technology, advanced wastewater treatment and shore-power capability. Chantiers de l’Atlantique stated that the exhaust treatment systems were designed to substantially reduce sulphur and nitrogen-oxide emissions compared with older cruise vessels.
Meraviglia-Plus Design
One of MSC VIRTUOSA's most recognisable features is the Galleria Virtuosa, a long two-deck indoor promenade covered by a huge LED ceiling. Chantiers de l’Atlantique gives the promenade length as approximately 111 metres, with around 95 metres of LED ceiling.
The ship also includes the MSC Yacht Club, theatres, restaurants, large pool areas, the Savannah Aquapark and the MSC Starship Club, where MSC introduced its humanoid robotic bartender concept. MSC's official technical sheet lists four swimming pools, nine whirlpools and approximately 35,000 m² of public areas.
First Year and Piraeus Call
MSC VIRTUOSA's early career was unusual because she entered service while pandemic restrictions were still heavily affecting cruising. Her first voyages were consequently operated with reduced passenger numbers and modified itineraries.
Later in her inaugural year she undertook a major repositioning voyage from the Mediterranean toward the Middle East. During that voyage, MSC VIRTUOSA called at Piraeus on 12 November 2021, arriving from Malta before continuing toward Rhodes, Cyprus, the Suez Canal and ultimately Dubai.
The Piraeus call is independently documented photographically: MSC VIRTUOSA was photographed arriving at the Port of Piraeus on 12 November 2021, only around nine months after her delivery.
Current Career
MSC VIRTUOSA has subsequently operated extensively in Northern Europe, the Mediterranean, the Atlantic and the Middle East. In 2026 she remains fully active with MSC Cruises. MSC's current programme places her primarily on Northern European and Atlantic itineraries during 2026 before subsequent seasonal deployments.
She has retained her original MSC VIRTUOSA name, Malta flag, MMSI 215610000 and call sign 9HA5209 since delivery.
Piraeus Connection
For PiraeuShips, MSC VIRTUOSA is particularly interesting because she was recorded at Piraeus during her very first year in service.
Your original PiraeuShips page dates from November 2021, and the independent photographic record confirms her Piraeus arrival on 12 November 2021. This was therefore not a recording of an already established older cruise ship, but of a virtually brand-new 181,541-GT MSC flagship, only months after leaving the shipyard.
PiraeuShips Record
MSC VIRTUOSA was recorded at Piraeus by PiraeuShips on 12 November 2021, during the vessel's inaugural year of service. Delivered by Chantiers de l’Atlantique only nine months earlier, the 181,541-GT Meraviglia-Plus cruise ship was calling at Piraeus during a major repositioning voyage from the Mediterranean towards the Middle East. The recording preserves one of MSC Cruises' largest new-generation ships during the earliest stage of her commercial career.
Original video footage © PiraeuShips. All rights reserved.
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