On Monday 3rd May, 2021 the 2017 built Seaside Class cruise liner MSC SEASIDE entered Grand Harbour, Malta at 0810 hrs coming from Genoa, Italy with 853 passengers.
She joined MSC GRANDIOSA last Saturday 1st May welcoming guests back on board for weekly 7 night cruises in the Western Mediterranean, featuring new destinations in Siracusa in Sicily and Taranto in Puglia, Italy. As the lead vessel of the Seaside class , she lends her name to the company’s Seaside class. At 153,516 GRT, she would become the largest cruise ship ever to be constructed by Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri and the 14th largest cruise ship in the world, behind NORWEGIAN EPIC upon her delivery in December 2017.
MSC SEASIDE was christened on 21st December 2017 by her godmother, Sophia Loren at Miami Port making her the first MSC cruise ship to be christened in North America. The ceremony was hosted by the American Television Host Actor Mario Lopez with featured performances by the Italian Opera Tenor Andrea Bocelli and the Puerto Rican singer Ricky Martin. The liner departed for her 14 night inaugural cruise on 23rd December 2017 from Miami, which visited Antigua and Barbuda, the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Bahamas, Jamaica, the Cayman Islands, and Cozumel in Mexico.
Back to 17th November 2018, seven crew members were arrested at Miami Port after U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers found 7 kilograms of cocaine and a total of $100,000 in their cabins and in their possession. According to officers, the crew members were recruited by a fellow crew member to smuggle cocaine from Jamaica to the United States – https://www.news24.com/news24/SouthAfrica/News/dodgy-transactions-lead-to-arrests-of-4-sa-women-for-cocaine-smuggling-in-the-us-20181210
She left her berth at Pinto 1 and 2 wharves, part of Valletta Cruise Port bound to Siracusa, Sicily at 1817 hrs.
Watermarked Photos are by Capt. Lawrence Dalli. NO PHOTOS can be used or manipulated without our permission. © All rights reserved. Malta Ship Photos & Action Photos – www.maltashipphotos.com
Published – Wednesday 5th May, 2021.