The shipping company MSC Cruises officially christened its youngest fleet member, the World Europa, on Sunday. The LNG-powered cruise ship is the first of a total of four newbuildings in this class. Fuel cells are also used to generate energy.

The formal ceremony was held at the Port of Doha. This is no coincidence, as the shipping company works closely with Qatar Airways. Three MSC ships will serve as floating hotels during the soccer World Cup, which is about to take place in Qatar. This is also due to the fact that the organizers expect that without "temporary hotels" there could be bottlenecks due to the enormously high demand.

For crusaders, the World Cup also has other implications. Many ships are not allowed to enter Qatar during this time. Therefore, some providers will temporarily suspend the stops in Doha. But there are also other examples, because there were also special packages that included football World Cup tickets to buy.

During the sporting event, the shipping company MSC will make its ships Poesia, Opera and World Europa available as “floating hotels” in the port of Doha. A fourth cruise ship could possibly be added. After the football World Cup, the latter ship is to go on its maiden voyage. This leads to Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sir Bani Yas Island in the United Arab Emirates and to Dammam in Saudi Arabia. From March 2023, the new building is also to be used in the Mediterranean.