If you are planning to go on a cruise, which cruise company comes to your mind first? Continuing the family tradition of 300 years, MSC Cruise ships combine the maritime tradition with the ultramodern holiday concept and offer their guests an unforgettable holiday.
Founded in 1989 in Naples, Italy, Mediterranean Shipping Company - MSC Cruises (MSC Crociere in Italian) is today the world's largest privately owned cruise company. With 23,500 employees worldwide and offices in 45 countries, the company has 16 ships in five different categories: Lirica class, Musica class, Fantasia class, Meraviglia class and Seaside class. It is expected that 13 more ships will join the fleet in the coming years.
The Italian Aponte family, living in Geneva, owns a group called MSC, a world giant in container transportation, port management and cruise ship ownership. Father Gianluigi Aponte was the Chairman of the MSC Group, and his son Diego Aponte was the CEO. By 2021, the CEO role was assumed for the first time by someone outside the family.
THE APONTE FAMILY OF ITALIAN OWNERSHIP OF MSC
MSC (Mediterranean Shipping Company), which was founded in 1970 by captain Gianluigi Aponte, born in Sant'Agnello, Italy, in 1970 and set out with the general cargo ship MSC PATRICIA, is today in its fleet with 600' It has turned into a giant line operator controlling 15 percent of the world container market with nearly e ships.
Captain Gianluigi Aponte was the Chairman of the Board of MSC Group, while his son Diego Aponte was the Chairman of the Executive Board. On the other hand, Alexa Aponte, the only daughter of captain Gianluigi Aponte, is the CFO of Vago MSC Group and is married to Pierfrancesco Vago, Chief Executive Officer of MSC Cruises.
2021
Former MAERSK COO Soren Toft has taken over as the new CEO of MSC. Toft is also recorded as MSC's first non-family CEO.
Former MAERSK operations director Soren Toft has become the new CEO of Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) after 12 months of leave following his sudden resignation.
“Soren is the ideal person to run our family business to help move MSC into the future,” said Diego Aponte, MSC Chairman of the Board.
Aponte said Toft's 25 years of experience at MAERSK and his understanding of the container shipping supply chain will build on the strategy that has made MSC so successful over the past fifty years.
Toft, the first person from outside the Aponte family to take over as CEO, said: “I am very excited and embarrassed by the opportunity the Aponte family has presented me. “It is a great honor and privilege for me to help preserve the MSC DNA and run such a successful company in the future.”