MSC Crociere has signed a letter of intent for the delivery of a new ship in June 2012, to join the 11 new vessels built in the last seven years.

Pierfrancesco Vago, CEO of MSC Crociere, stated: "We are immensely proud to announce the order of another new ship, MSC Favolosa. At a time when many companies are cautious about investing, with this order MSC Crociere once again signals the record-breaking extent of its ambition. The new ship will bring our capacity to 1,400,000 passengers in 2013, confirming both the success of our strategy and our confidence in further growth. This order is also a demonstration of our faith in the STX Europe shipyard, which we are delighted to be able to support in these challenging times. We would like to thank all parties involved in making this initiative possible."

Measuring 333.3 m in length and 38 m in beam, MSC Favolosa will have a total of 1,751 cabins and will be able to travel at speeds of up to 23.7 knots.

Thanks to award-winning naval architects De Jorio Design International the new addition to the Fantasia class, technically called V32, will herald a state-of-the-art concept in space management, which will include two additional lifts to improve passenger flow and a total redesign of decks and restaurants to offer guests on board unprecedented comfort and the highest space ratio per passenger.

Hamilton Travel Co. Ltd are the exclusive general sales agents and shore excursion organisers for MSC Cruises in Malta.