Explora V Bow Section Launched at Palermo Shipyard
Plans call for fourteen decks and four hundred sixty-one suites, plus Mediterranean sailings to twenty-seven destinations in nine countries before a Middle East program.
Explora Journeys has launched the bow section of Explora V at Fincantieri's Palermo shipyard in Sicily, moving the LNG-powered ship toward a scheduled 2027 delivery. After its first transfer from land to water and initial outfitting in Palermo, the section will be moved to Fincantieri's Sestri Ponente shipyard in Genoa for completion.
The vessel is the fifth in a six-ship expansion planned for Explora Journeys by 2028. It follows Explora III, due for delivery in July 2026, and precedes Explora VI, due in August 2028.
Palermo launch starts the next construction phase
Anna Nash, president of Explora Journeys, called the bow-section launch "an important milestone in the continued development of our fleet."
"As we grow, we are introducing more guests to a new expression of ocean travel," Nash said. "We now look ahead to the delivery of Explora III this July and her inaugural journeys, from the Mediterranean to Northern Europe, Iceland and Greenland."
At 72,810 GT and 268 meters long, Explora V is planned with 14 decks and 461 suites. Capacity figures for the vessel vary, with cruise-focused listings giving 922 guests and other listings giving a 1,473 maximum capacity. Crew is listed at 640.
The ship's LNG design uses liquefied natural gas for propulsion and onboard power generation. LNG requires cryogenic storage and LNG-capable or dual-fuel machinery, and is associated with lower sulfur oxides, nitrogen oxides and particulate emissions than conventional heavy marine fuels, while depending on suitable bunkering infrastructure.
Deployment includes Mediterranean and Middle East programs
Explora Journeys has scheduled Explora V for Mediterranean sailings to 27 destinations in nine countries. The program includes an overnight call in Istanbul and a New Year's stay in Naples, where the ship is due to view the city's fireworks display from the sea.
After the Mediterranean program, Explora V is scheduled to operate in the Middle East alongside Explora I. The planned deployment includes itineraries to Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Bahrain.
The line has also placed Explora V in its Summer 2028 Journeys Collection, with the ship scheduled to sail the Baltic Sea, the Norwegian fjords and the North Atlantic from May through September before reaching Iceland and Greenland. The season then shifts to the North American eastern seaboard, including overnight stays in New York City and Quebec City and late departures from Halifax and Boston.
Six-ship fleet plan moves toward 2028
Explora Journeys, MSC Group's luxury cruise brand, currently operates Explora I and Explora II, which entered service in 2023 and 2024. Explora III is expected in 2026, followed by Explora IV and Explora V in 2027 and Explora VI in 2028, completing a Fincantieri-built fleet backed by an estimated €3.5 billion MSC Group investment.
Explora VI construction started in March, the same month Fincantieri launched Explora IV and held Explora V's coin ceremony. Sales are open for the Summer 2028 Journeys Collection, which spans 178 destinations in 27 countries across the full fleet, with Explora VI scheduled to begin its first Mediterranean program in August 2028.
