''MSC Lirica'' is the

lead ship The lead ship, name ship, or class leader is the first of a series or class of ships all constructed according to the same general design. The term is applicable to naval ships and large civilian vessels. Large ships are very complex and may ...

in her class of cruise ship, owned and operated by

MSC Cruises MSC Cruises ( it, MSC Crociere) is an Italian global cruise line registered in Switzerland and based in Geneva, with operations offices in Naples, Genoa and Venice. It was founded in 1989 in Naples, Italy, as part of the Mediterranean Shipping ...

. She was the first newbuild cruise ship to enter service for MSC Cruises. She can accommodate 1,560 passengers in 780 cabins. Her crew complement is approximately 732. is an identical

sister ship A sister ship is a ship of the same class or of virtually identical design to another ship. Such vessels share a nearly identical hull and superstructure layout, similar size, and roughly comparable features and equipment. They often share a ...

to the ''MSC Lirica''. Her other sisters in the class, and are essentially the same, but have a smaller

funnel A funnel is a tube or pipe that is wide at the top and narrow at the bottom, used for guiding liquid or powder into a small opening. Funnels are usually made of stainless steel, aluminium, glass, or plastic. The material used in its construc ...

and other modifications, such as the bow windows and changes to the interior.

History

During a cast-off maneuver in

Civitavecchia Civitavecchia (; meaning "ancient town") is a city and ''comune'' of the Metropolitan City of Rome in the central Italian region of Lazio. A sea port on the Tyrrhenian Sea, it is located west-north-west of Rome. The harbour is formed by two pi ...

, the ''MSC Lirica'' was pressed against the pier facilities on 2 November 2007 in strong winds and damaged in the bow area on the port side. The ship was repaired in dry dock between 12 and 17 November 2007 and returned to

Fort Lauderdale A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

on 4 December. MSC Lirica Mallorca

The ''MSC Lirica'' was lengthened in November 2015. On 12 March 2021, the ship caught on fire amidships during lay-up at the port of Corfu, Greece, with only crew on board. According to MSC Cruises, the fire started in an empty

fiberglass Fiberglass (American English) or fibreglass (Commonwealth English) is a common type of fiber-reinforced plastic using glass fiber. The fibers may be randomly arranged, flattened into a sheet called a chopped strand mat, or woven into glass cl ...

lifeboat Lifeboat may refer to: Rescue vessels * Lifeboat (shipboard), a small craft aboard a ship to allow for emergency escape * Lifeboat (rescue), a boat designed for sea rescues * Airborne lifeboat, an air-dropped boat used to save downed airmen ...

and caused damage to the side of the ship, but not its interior, and there were no injuries. The area of the fire corresponded to the part of the vessel that was added in her 2015 lengthening and was later repaired.

Areas of operation

From March 2016 she cruised in Asia visiting ports in China, Japan and Korea. In January 2018, MSC Cruises announced that the ship would spend her 2018-2019 winter season operating cruises in the

United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia ( The Middle East). It is located at ...

. In July 2019, the ''MSC Lirica'' served as a hotel for athletes competing in the 30th Summer Universiade in Naples. Following the interruption due to

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickl ...

and the on-board fire, MSC announced that ''MSC Lirica'' would return to service in April 2022 with a full season of 7-night Eastern Mediterranean cruises, based at

Piraeus Piraeus ( ; el, Πειραιάς ; grc, Πειραιεύς ) is a port city within the Athens urban area ("Greater Athens"), in the Attica region of Greece. It is located southwest of Athens' city centre, along the east coast of the Sar ...

References

External links

* Lirica 2002 ships Maritime incidents in 2021 Maritime incidents in 2007 Ships built by Chantiers de l'Atlantique {{cruise-ship-stub