MSC Grandiosa is ready to sail!
Following a 2-year construction period, the MSC Grandiosa vessel, designed to be at the cutting edge of innovation while having a reduced impact on the environment, is today delivered.
After a successful four-day sea-trial at the end of August 2019, the MSC Grandiosa was delivered on time on the 31st October from Chantiers de l'Atlantique to MSC Cruises. This giant of the seas will be able to carry up to 5,700 passengers and will count 1,550 staff on board.
Following a construction period of almost two years involving several drawings and various amendments to comply with industrial shipbuilding processes, all involved financial and legal parties were on deck to execute the financial closing for the vessel's delivery. This highly structured transaction has been put in place to answer the clients' needs and to meet crucial deadlines for cruise-goers.
Societe Generale acted as Global Coordinator and Facility Agent in April 2017, alongside a pool of 6 banks to finance two vessels for MSC Cruises: the MSC Grandiosa and the MSC Virtuosa.
"As Global Coordinator, Societe Generale is particularly proud to have played a key role in the smooth delivery of this cutting-edge vessel", commented Agnès Deschênes-Voirin, Societe Generale Export Finance Director
Following today's delivery, the vessel has been reflagged and will be christened in Hamburg on the 9th November 2019. The post-delivery financing is now coming into force to support the cruise operator MSC Cruises for a tenor of 12 years.
The Virtuosa, sistership of the Grandiosa, is scheduled to be delivered in October 2020.