MSC World Asia Completes Final Sea Trials Ahead of Delivery
Captain Paolo Benini will command the inaugural seven-night sailing, a Barcelona round trip calling at Marseille, Genoa, Civitavecchia, Messina and Valletta.
MSC Cruises’ newest flagship, MSC World Asia, has completed final sea trials off western France ahead of its scheduled delivery by Chantiers de l’Atlantique on Nov. 25, 2026. The Atlantic testing covered propulsion, maneuvering, fuel performance, speed, braking distances and onboard safety systems for the 216,638-gross-ton ship.
The final trials followed an initial round in July. MSC World Asia has returned to Saint-Nazaire for finishing work before a Nov. 28 naming ceremony in Le Havre and its entry into passenger service from Barcelona on Dec. 4.
Third in the LNG-powered World Class series
Construction began with steel cutting at Chantiers de l’Atlantique in April 2024, and the vessel floated out in November 2025. It will become MSC Cruises’ 24th ship and the third in its LNG-powered World Class series, following MSC World Europa in 2022 and MSC World America in 2025.
MSC World Atlantic, the fourth ship in the series, is under construction for a 2027 debut. MSC Cruises has also ordered two additional World Class vessels for delivery in 2030 and 2031.
The 333.3-meter MSC World Asia has 2,614 cabins for as many as 6,764 passengers, supported by more than 2,000 crew. Its listed maximum speed is 22.7 knots, and the 22-deck ship will provide more than 38,400 square meters of public space.
The vessel will use LNG and is capable of operating on bio- and synthetic renewable LNG fuels. It also has shore-power connectivity, allowing its engines to be switched off while connected in equipped ports. LNG is not a zero-emission fuel: the IMO’s life-cycle framework accounts for carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide across well-to-tank and tank-to-wake emissions.
Seven-night Mediterranean program
Captain Paolo Benini will command the inaugural sailing, a seven-night round trip from Barcelona calling at Marseille, Genoa, Civitavecchia, Messina and Valletta. Embarkation will be available at each port in the rotation.
The naming ceremony is expected to include travel industry representatives, partners, media and invited guests. MSC Cruises has not identified the ship’s godparent.
The initial Mediterranean deployment is scheduled to continue until mid-November 2027. For the 2027-28 winter season, MSC World Asia is due to operate seven- and 14-night southern Caribbean cruises from Fort-de-France, Pointe-à-Pitre and Bridgetown.
What’s new on board
MSC World Asia will have more than 40 restaurants, bars and lounges, including five recently announced venues: Clubhouse and Soda Bar, Sky Box Bar, The Terraces Bar & Lounge, Coral Cove Bar and Pan Asian Bar. The ship will introduce 13 new or reworked spaces compared with MSC World Europa.
Its attractions include The Spiral @ Tree of Life, an 81.3-meter dry slide descending 12 decks. A 12-meter stainless-steel dragon, suspended 10 meters above the Outdoor World Promenade, incorporates nearly 700 mirrors and more than 3,000 LED light points. Marco Balich, chairman of designer Balich Wonder Studio, called the installation “the defining symbol of a ship.”
See current MSC World Asia fares and itineraries on Cruise Lookup.
