A cruise ship company has just put in a €3.5billion (£3billion) order for two new state of the art cruise ships. Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) cruises have said they expect the ships to be ready by 2030 and 2031.

They will not be named until the company can get a good look at them when they are finished. They will be the seventh and the eighth ships in MSC’s world class cruise fleet.

The new ships will be built in France, in Chantiers de l’Atlantique shipyard in Saint-Nazaire, The Independent said. In total MSC will have spent €10.5 billion (£9.3billion) in France when these orders go through. In May they ordered two other new ships to be built which are due to be delivered in 2028 and 2029.

It is a major time of expansion at the company as last week another of their new ships, the MSC World Asia, had its first float out and is set to be fully launched in November 2026. Also last week was the coin laying ceremony for the MSC World Atlantic when commemorative coins are placed inside the ship in a tradition to bless the construction and give the ship good fortune.

The two new ships will join MSC World Asia, MSC World Atlantic, MSC World Europa and the MSC World America in the firm’s world class fleet. Only the latter two are currently operational but by 2031, the world class portion of their fleet will be eight strong. MSC World Asia and MSC World Atlantic will join the fleet in 2026 and 2027 respectively and the unamed World Class 5 and 6 currently being built after their May announcement will arrive in 2028 and 2029. The newly announced ships will arrive in 2030 and 2031, meaning there will be a world class ship being added to their fleet every year for the next four years.

These world class ship offer several districts, featuring bars, restaurants, waterparks and dry slides. The fleet is powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG) which is meant to be more environmentally friendly.

MSC Group chairman Pierfrancesco Vago marked the triumphant moment for the company.

He said: “We mark a proud moment today for MSC Cruises and Chantiers de l’Atlantique as we celebrate important milestones for our future – the float out of MSC World Asia, the coin ceremony of MSC World Atlantic and the order of two new ships.

“The World-class platform is a symbol of our vision to set new standards for the future of cruising. These are some of the most energy efficient ships in the world and we continue our commitment to LNG, ensuring we are ready for future renewable fuels.

“We look forward to continuing with our innovative and successful collaboration with Chantiers de l’Atlantique – our long-term partner for more than 20 years.”

MSC World Asia will sail the Mediterranean and offer seven-night sailings to a range of destinations. The ship will cover Barcelona, Marseille, Genoa, Civitavecchia, Messina and Valletta. Meanwhile, MSC World Atlantic will sail the Caribbean Sea for the 2027-2028 winter period.