This morning, the MSC Meraviglia cruise-ship docked in Valletta's Grand Harbour, marking its presence as the first MSC cruise liner to fly the Maltese flag, the country where the cruise-liner is registered.

To mark this grand arrival, passengers on the cruise-ship, of which there are circa 5,700, made their way off the ship to the sound of a band playing. The ship stood proudly, parallel to the restaurants, cafes and shops with colorful doors and windows, dotted along the Valletta waterfront, hiding the view of the Three Cities behind its modern exterior.

If you looked closely, you could make out guests looking out of their room-balconies, facing Malta's capital. Some crew cleaning the boat looked minute compared to the vessel's enormity.

"It has finally arrived home," Mr Aponte, the representative of MSC in Malta said this morning, addressing a conference on the luxury liner. "The MSC Meraviglia, the gem of our crown, will be calling here every week," he said.  Speaking at the conference, Mrs Josette Hamilton, the managing director of Hamilton Travel said that the Meraviglia has been described as 'the 8th wonder of the world'. 

The 'Inaugural Season' of the ship will run weekly seven-night-cruises around Europe, embarking in six ports around Western Europe, starting from Italy. During this time, the cruise ship will be bringing approximately 150,000 passengers to Malta, until the run ends on 15 November. The ship arrived from Malta after departing from Genoa last Sunday, with a few stops across different places in Italy and Sicily along the way.

The conference included representatives from various Maltese travel agencies, as well as Minister for Foreign Affairs Carmelo Abela and Maltese High Commissioner Mr Norman Hamilton, amongst others.  

MSC Meraviglia is not the first vessel to fly the Maltese flags, 18 container ships of MSC fleets are already registered in Malta, Aponte explained to those present. "This cruise liner won't be the last," he said. A plan to increase their fleet of other cruise liners will increase thoroughly by 2026, and will all be registered in Malta. "This investment will see our fleet double and passenger capacity will triple," he said.

As cruise ships, we will make regular calls to Valletta all year round, he said, stating that last year, the company cruises brought about 345,000 passengers to the island. He said that this new venture will strengthen the Maltese economy.

Speaking at the event, Minister for Tourism Konrad Mizzi said that this new venture is "truly a mark of trust into the country, the maritime sector and broadly into our tourism sector."

He explained that the vessel hosts 5,700 guests, excluding staff members. He said that last year, in the Valletta cruise sector there have been 600,000 passengers. "The prospects for the future look good," he said.

Between 2015 till now, 100 calls to Malta by the cruise brand were listed, resulting in approximately 400,000 passengers. Speakers at the event noted the ship's 'innovation' and it's 'state of the art' design and facilities, which includes modular cabins, 10 different cabinet types and having 75% of cabins with a balcony.

Facilities on the cruise liner include partnerships with Chicco and Lego to improve children's facilities and a specialized 'Cirque Du Soleil At Sea'.  

The MSC Meraviglia was christened by international screen legend and godmost of all of MSC Cruise ships Sophia Loren at Le Havre, France. Mrs Loren has held a close relationship with MSC Cruises for over a decade, when she first became godmother of MSC Lirica, in 2003.

The MSC Meraviglia marks the first of the company's new fleet, with eleven new ships which will be built throughout the next ten years, which will result in the company owning 23 vessels, explained Mr Angelo Capurro, the Executive Director of MSC. "Our capacity will be close to five million passengers by 2026," he said.

MSC Cruises are the number one cruise brand in Europe, South Africa and South America.