MEDITERRANEAN SHIPPING COMPANY

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MEDITERRANEAN SHIPPING COMPANY
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History

• MSC Cruises was created when Gianlucci Aponte,
  owner of Mediterranean Shipping Company, acquired
  Starlauro -- a one-ship cruise line, whose fleet
  consisted of the Achille Lauro the one with a
  troubled history
• was hijacked by Palestinians in 1986 and
• while under the MSC flag. In 1996, and sailing a
  passenger cruise, caught fire off the coast of
  Africa and, ultimately, sank. All passengers were
  safely rescued.
• MSC Cruises, based in Naples and Sorrento, was
  conceived on the premise of offering Europeans
  affordable cruise vacations -- a concept that was
  fairly revolutionary in 1990. Today, it competes
  primarily against Genoa-based Costa Cruises (as
  well as smaller, more regional lines like Spain's
  Pullmantur).
• MSC is privately owned and, as such, the designs
  of its vessels are unique to the line.
• MSC Cruises is a division of Mediterranean
  Shipping Company, with a longstanding history on
  the sea. MSC cruises have a distinct Italian
  style. From the authentic Italian cuisine to the
  personal attention and friendliness of an Italian
  crew, guests onboard an MSC cruise are treated to
  the finest Italian hospitality afloat. Aimed at
  the younger end of the cruising market, the
  management team is committed to innovation
  together with maritime tradition, to create the
  perfect Italian cruise experience.

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Breakthrough . . \1

• MSC commissioned its own series of new-builds.
• MSC Lirica, a 59,058-ton, 1,445-passenger vessel,
  was the first to emerge in April 2003 and
• MSC Opera, just slightly larger and carrying
  1,756 passengers, debuted in June 2004.
• Acquired vessels from the now-defunct First
  European/Festival (both ships measure 58,625 tons
  and carry 1,566 passengers)
• MSC Armonia and
• MSC Sinfonia,.
• Introduced a new class of ships -- larger, more
  amenity-laden and featuring an even higher ratio
  of private verandahs
• MSC Musica. Measuring 89,600 tons and
  accommodating 2,550 passengers, that class
  "master" was launched in June 2006 and siblings
  include
• MSC Orchestra (debuted in spring of 2007) and
• MSC Poesia (spring of 2008).
• MSC Magnifica, the fourth ship in the Musica
  class, will launch in spring 2010, and
• MSC Meraviglia, the fifth, in early 2011.

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Breakthrough . . \2

• MSC's biggest forward foot to date has been the
  innovative new design for its Fantasia series of
  ships.
• MSC Fantasia, which debuted in December 2008, is
  the first of two 133,500-ton, 3,300-passenger
  Fantasia-class vessels.
• Sister ship MSC Splendida is due out in summer
  2009.
• The line's largest ships, to date, are these two
  post-Panamax-sized vessels, based on an
  absolutely unique protoype that incorporates
  first-ever features, such as
• the ship-within-a-ship Yacht Club concept for
  suite holders,
• a pool with a magrodome for all-seasons swimming,
• an interactive center with a 4D theater and
• a Formula One simulator.
• Uniquely, in an era in which cruise lines choose
  a different celebrity godmother for each ship in
  the fleet, the Italian-influenced MSC has
  remained loyal to legendary actress Sophia Loren.
  She's served as godmother for every new ship
  since MSC Lirica.

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Onboard

• Whether new ship or old, MSC Cruises emphasizes a
  strongly Italian-influenced ambience. For the
  most part, its ships traverse the Mediterranean
  (winter and summer) and are geared to European
  travelers. But, the line has made a major
  commitment to not only sail elsewhere (South
  America, Canada/New England, the Caribbean, South
  Africa), but also to expand its passenger base to
  include English-speaking travelers.
• Regardless, passengers should be prepared for
  announcements to be read in Italian, French,
  Spanish, German and English.
• Life onboard, particularly when it comes to
  mealtime, follows a more traditional cruise
  schedule -- set dining times and seatmates, and a
  handful of optional eateries that include sushi,
  a buffet and an Italian restaurant.
• The ships offer a standout range of evening
  entertainment offerings, from smoochy dance music
  to classical concerts, Cirque du Soleil-esque
  aerobatic shows to jazz.
• While MSC cruises are typically priced at very
  value-oriented levels (i.e. pretty cheap cruise
  fares), the ships offer a fairly unprecedented
  range of services and amenities that cost extra,
  such as a la carte menus, fees for port shuttles
  and more.

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Fellow Passengers

• In Europe, from the Mediterranean to the Baltic,
  the ships attract a very strong European crowd.
  (U.K.- and Ireland-based cruise travelers are
  becoming increasingly well-represented.)
  Caribbean sailings are geared more strongly to
  North American travelers.
• With its new-builds, the line attracts numerous
  retirees during the winter season, while its
  efforts to cater to families during the summer
  and school holidays mean there are lots of kids
  at those times.
• MSC's more classic vessels -- which lack
  state-of-the-art kids' facilities and sail on
  longer, more exotic itineraries -- are tailored
  to older travelers.

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Itineraries

• MSC Cruises' main playground is, of course, the
  Mediterranean, and itineraries include stops in
  Italy, Greece, Malta, Canary Islands, Croatia,
  Portugal, Morocco, Spain, Istanbul and even the
  Ukraine. Northern Europe, from Norway's fjords to
  the Baltic, is increasingly popular.
• MSC has since added itineraries to South Africa
  and South America. It also is ramping up its
  presence in the Caribbean. In 2010, the line will
  add fall foliage cruises from a new homeport in
  New York to Canada and New England.

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Exotic Itinerariesfrom South Africa to the
Mediterranean.

• The very value-priced, refurbished, "classic"
  ships (which aren't marketed to a North American
  audience) include the
• 35,000-ton, 1,064-passenger MSC Melody (built in
  1982 formerly known as Premier Cruise Lines'
  Starship Atlantic)
• 20,000-ton, 566-passenger MSC Monterey (a former
  U.S. flagged liner built in 1952) and
• 17,495-ton, 780-passenger MSC Rhapsody (formerly
  known as Cunard Princess and built in 1977).
• The 58,600-ton, 1,566-passenger Armonia and
  Sinfonia -- which were acquired from the
  now-defunct First European/Festival Cruises and
  were originally called European Vision and
  European Stars, respectively -- were built in
  2001 and 2002.

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Our Concerns about South AfricaA Letter to Ricky
Bikraj, Port Manager, Durban from Luigi Pastena,
Port Captain, Marine Operations Department,
Strategic Itinerary Management, MSC Cruise tech

• The new assessment of Maritime Station in Durban
  has reduced the available spaces and now it is
  impossible to have a fluent flow of embarking and
  disembarking passengers
• Basing on our experience, we suggest to divide
  embarking from disembarking people and not to
  carry out the luggage handling inside the
  Maritime Station
• As you well know, MSC cruises business keep on
  growing all around the world and our passengers
  produce a benefit for the local community that
  doesnt appear at the first sight but it is very,
  very important.
• The Maritime Station is the first portrait of a
  country in the eyes of the passengers and a good
  workable structure influences positively their
  opinion about the port , the city and the country
  itself.
• MSC wouldnt ask for something that you yourself
  cannot benefit from!!!
• A further issue is the Passengers fee that, in
  Durban, is unbelievably high in fact we pay now
  R74.11 as total fees for passengers and luggages
  and we are carrying about 40 000 Passengers per
  Season!
• We surely want to give you big vessel, more
  passengers and a larger season by 1-2 months,
  but we need from your side a reduction of all
  Port costs. For instance, a contract that gave us
  incentive after 25 000 passengers in a season,
  would be highly appreciated.
• Please also note that, with the mini cruise, you
  receive in ten days triple the money and
  passengers that you could see with a ten-days
  cruise (as per a research from our Company, each
  passenger leaves in a Port about US 109,00.
• This letter is dated December 11th, 2007

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Book Through

• Starlight Cruises
• Starlight House, 1 Wessel Rd, Cnr 5th Ave,
• Rivonia, Docex 3, Rivonia.
• Reservation Office 011 807 5111
• E-Mail starlite_at_yebo.co.za
• Postal Address P.O.Box 786331, Sandton, 2146
• Branch Offices 012 342 4496 031 303 3571 021
  555 3005

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Thank you

• Sello Rasethaba, Executive Director
• Container Logistics and Depots
• Mediterrenean Shipping Company
• Tel. [phone]Fax [phone]
• E-mail sello.rasethaba_at_msc.co.za
• E-mail srasethaba_at_msc.co.za

Luigi Pastena, Port CaptainMarine Operations
DepartmentStrategic Itinerary ManagementMSC
Cruise techTel. 0039 081 5344001Fax [phone]
5342404E-mail mscmarineoperations_at_mscctd.itE-m
ail lpastena_at_mscctd.it