One of Europe's largest cruise operators has announced that it has ordered two new cruise ships from a French shipyard in a deal worth around €3.5 billion, AFP reported.

Geneva-based MSC Cruises signed the order during a business meeting organized by French President Emmanuel Macron in Versailles, where France is expected to announce foreign investments worth €37 billion.

Chantiers de l'Atlantique, which has built 19 of MSC's 23 ships, will deliver the new ships from its shipyard in western France in 2029 and 2030.

“This partnership is helping to revive a strategic industry for our country,” said French Industry and Energy Minister Marc Ferrand, adding that France “will continue to fight for its shipbuilding industry at the national level.”

With the latest order, the company's total direct investment in France over the past two decades exceeds €18 billion, according to MSC.

The two new cruise ships will join MSC World Europe and MSC World America, along with two others already under construction and scheduled for delivery in 2026 and 2027.

MSC said the new ships will be “among the most energy-efficient,” compatible with alternative fuels, and equipped with shore-side power connection systems to reduce emissions while in port.

However, the cruise sector is often the subject of fierce criticism for its impact on the environment, with eco-activists blocking the southern French port city of Marseille in September 2024 in protest against pollution from huge ships. |BGNES