Article from Cruise Europe . . .
On the occasion of the launch of cruises departing from Le Havre with the MSC Opera, Erminio Eschena, Managing Director of MSC Cruises France and Edouard Philippe, MP and Mayor of Le Havre and President of the Le Havre conurbation, represented by Agnès Firmin Le Bodo, President of the Le Havre Cruise Club invited the media to a briefing on Wednesday, February 27th at the Shipowner’s House in Le Havre.
In 2013, MSC Cruises reinforces its national presence by adding the port of Le Havre to the French ports already served by the cruise line. From July 15th until September 2013, the MSC Opera will be positioned for seven turnarounds bound for the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Spain and Portugal.
“Our presence at Le Havre reflects our development strategy launched for several years which focuses mainly on the French territory. In this sense, the Port of Le Havre is a tremendous asset for MSC Cruises” because it opens the way to Northern Europe as well as to the Mediterranean. For these reasons our arrival at Le Havre marks the beginning of our partnership with the Le Havre conurbation which we wish sustainable and successful”, said Erminio Eschena, Managing Director of MSC Cruises at the end of the press briefing. “In addition, our relationship with the port of Le Havre has been long established thanks to our cargo traffic”.
This choice is also strategic for MSC Cruises as the Port of Le Havre, in line with the French cruise market, has been experiencing an extremely fast growth over the five past years. From 50 calls in 2009, the number of calls in 2013 is reaching 126, ranking Le Havre at the top of the western coast. Edouard Philippe, MP of Le Havre considers that the development work in the cruise terminal helped this evolution and allowed Le Havre to retrieve its vocation of turnaround port. In 2013 this processing goes on with MSC Cruises.
MSC Opera was built in the shipyards of Saint-Nazaire in 2004, can accommodate up to 2055 passengers in an elegant and modern comfort. The ship as 2 pools, four restaurants, seven bars and lounges, mini-golf, a gym, a spa, a casino, a night club and a children’s club, among other facilities. The arrival of thousands of cruise passengers at the port of Le Havre is a remarkable opportunity for the city to develop its cultural and economic influence. This program allows to offer pre- and post-cruise stays and thanks to its assets Le Havre now attracts 50 % of the passengers during their call.
Full Source: cruiseeurope.com
