MSC Cruises made an announcement on Monday the 16th January that it will use Miami as its exclusive home port for all Caribbean sailings from the autumn of 2013. This is still subject to approval by the Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners later in January.

MSC is one of the fastest growing cruise lines in the world. It currently operates a fleet of 11 cruise liners. Its latest ship, MSC Divina, which will be launched in May 2012, will feature a novel concept called the MSC Yacht Club: a-ship-within-a-ship.

Starting in 2013 the company, which now uses Port Everglades as a home port, will join the Port of Miami line-up for an initial agreement of three years.

The CEO and President of MSC Cruises, Richard E Sasso, said “We are very excited to join the impressive roster of cruise lines operating out of PortMiami and look forward to sharing MSC Cruises’ unique style of Mediterranean elegance, international cuisine and white-gloved service.”

Carlos A Gimenez, the Mayor of Miami-Dade, lauded the new agreement and warmly welcomed MSC Cruises to Miami.

The Director of the Port of Miami, Bill Johnson, said Miami’s offerings of luxury cruise lines would only be strengthened by the addition of MSC Cruises.

PortMiami handled more than four million passengers last year – the most of any cruise port in the world. It is a prime location for cruises embarking to the Caribbean, the Bahamas, Mexico and beyond.