Dockyard this week welcomed one of the world’s largest cruise ships to Heritage Wharf.

The MSC Meraviglia, the world’s eighteenth-largest cruise ship, visited the island yesterday on her inaugural sailing from New York.

Rubén A. Rodríguez, president of MSC Cruises USA, said: “MSC Meraviglia's arrival in Bermuda is a great milestone for MSC Cruises as we continue expanding our presence in the North American market.

“When we launched cruises from New York City, one of our goals was to allow guests to visit a wider variety of destinations. The response to these itineraries has been strong, which means we'll be bringing thousands of visitors to Bermuda this season.

“We look forward to continuing to work with local leaders to provide our guests with a distinctive and immersive cruising experience.”

Wayne Furbert, the Minister of Transport, welcomed the ship, its crew and its 5,179 visitors to the island.

“As we celebrate with MSC the inaugural call of the Meraviglia to Bermuda, we wish MSC Cruises much success in all that they have planned in North America in the years to come,” he said.

According to the 2023 cruise ship schedule MSC, Meraviglia will depart the island tomorrow morning. However, the ship is scheduled to make another four visits to Bermuda this year.

A government spokeswoman said that according to data from Cruise Lines International Association, the ship’s visits could generate up to $11 million to the local economy.