Construction starts on Miami-bound MSC Seaside

Construction started Monday on the MSC Seaside, which will be based in Miami starting in December of 2017.

Geneva-based MSC Cruises said the first steel was cut for the 4,140-passenger ship at the Fincantieri shipyard in Italy.

The ship will be christened in Miami and will sail Caribbean itineraries all year following its launch. Seaside will be joined by MSC Divina, which starts its year-round presence in Miami this November.

MSC Cruises CEO Gianni Onorato said in a statement that the new ship “will spearhead our campaign to expand our presence in North America.”

Also Monday, the company opened reservations for the 4,500-passenger MSC Meraviglia, which will launch in Europe in May of 2017.

This story was originally published June 22, 2015 at 7:06 PM with the headline "Construction starts on Miami-bound MSC Seaside."