MSC Orders Six New Ships: New Frontier Class Arrives 2030
The cruise line announces its biggest shipbuilding deal yet – and a whole new class of vessels is coming.
MSC Cruises has just dropped some seriously exciting news: they’ve signed a deal for six next-generation cruise ships with German shipyard MEYER WERFT, introducing an entirely new class called “New Frontier.”
That’s four confirmed builds plus two options – and the first ship arrives in 2030.
What We Know So Far
The New Frontier class ships will carry up to 5,400 passengers and weigh in at around 180,000 gross tons.
Here’s how that stacks up against the current fleet:
| Ship Class | Gross Tonnage | Max Passengers | Space Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Frontier | ~180,000 GT | 5,400 | 33.3 GT/pax |
| World Class | 215,863 GT | 6,762 | 31.9 GT/pax |
| Meraviglia-Plus | 181,541 GT | 6,334 | 28.7 GT/pax |
| Meraviglia | 171,598 GT | ~5,650 | 30.4 GT/pax |
| Seaside-EVO | 169,400 GT | 5,877 | 28.8 GT/pax |
The maths is interesting: New Frontier ships are almost identical in size to MSC Virtuosa and Grandiosa, but carry nearly 1,000 fewer passengers. That works out to the best space-per-guest ratio in the entire MSC fleet.
Whether that means bigger cabins, wider promenades, or more breathing room around the pools – we don’t know yet. But MSC appears to be prioritising guest experience over maximum capacity.
MSC’s Shipbuilding Pipeline Is Staggering
Before New Frontier even arrives, MSC has plenty more ships on the way:
Coming Soon:
- MSC World Asia – December 2026
- MSC World Atlantic – November 2027
- Four more World Class ships – before the end of 2031
Then the New Frontier class kicks off from 2030 with annual deliveries.
That’s potentially ten new ships in six years. The current fleet of 23 ships could grow to well over 30 by the early 2030s.
A First For MSC
This is the first time MSC has worked with MEYER WERFT (they’ve previously built with Chantiers de l’Atlantique in France and Fincantieri in Italy), so the New Frontier class represents a genuine fresh start in design and engineering.
MSC’s Executive Chairman Pierfrancesco Vago mentioned “next-generation environmental technologies” and “new and exclusive itineraries” – which has us curious about where these ships might sail and what innovations they’ll bring.
The deal also keeps the German shipyard busy well into the next decade, securing thousands of jobs in the region.
The Bottom Line
Six new ships. Brand new class. More space per guest than any current MSC vessel. Deliveries starting 2030.
We’ll be following this closely as MSC reveals more details about what New Frontier actually means for the onboard experience.
Want to cruise on MSC’s current fleet while we wait? Browse all MSC cruises →
