Explora V floats out and Explora VI gets its coins as Explora's six-ship fleet nears

Two more Explora Journeys ships moved forward on Monday at Fincantieri's Sestri Ponente shipyard in Genoa, Italy. Explora V floated out for the first time, and builders placed coins in the hull of Explora VI. Together, the two events put the luxury line on track to finish its six-ship fleet by mid-2028.

Explora Journeys is the luxury ocean brand of the MSC Group. Fincantieri is building all six of its ships.

What happened at the shipyard

A float-out is when a ship's hull is floated in water for the first time. The shipyard floods the dry dock, and the ship rises off its blocks. Work then continues on the outfitting, which includes cabins, public rooms and systems.

A coin ceremony is one of the oldest traditions in shipbuilding. Coins are placed inside the hull as a sign of good luck for the ship and all who sail on it.

Anna Nash, president of Explora Journeys, and Camilla Ronco served as godmothers for the Explora VI coin ceremony. Ronco works in the hull pre-assembly workshop at the Sestri Ponente yard. Together they placed two coins in the ship's hull.

Consuelo Brunelli, who works in Fincantieri's planning department, served as godmother for the ribbon cutting that marked the Explora V float-out.

Guests were welcomed by Pierfrancesco Vago, executive chairman of MSC Group's cruise division, and Pierroberto Folgiero, CEO and managing director of Fincantieri. Local and regional officials from Genoa and Liguria also attended.

The fleet timeline

Explora III was delivered at the end of July 2026. The line says its first three ships are sailing at full capacity. Here is where the rest of the fleet stands:

Once Explora VI arrives, the brand will have six ships at sea. You can follow each one on its Cruise Frog page: Explora IV, Explora V and Explora VI.

What the leaders said

Nash made clear that six ships is not the end of the plan. "EXPLORA VI may mark the completion of our first six ships, but it is by no means the final chapter," she said.

Vago pointed to the brand's ties to Italy. He said the ships are built in Italy, and that Explora Journeys already visits 19 Italian destinations. He said those calls bring travelers from around the world to a wider range of places in Italy.

Folgiero spoke about how the yard is changing. He said Fincantieri is bringing "artificial intelligence, robotics and automation" into its building process at Sestri Ponente. He called Explora V an example of how the yard can "combine beauty, functionality and innovation."

Cleaner fuel and shore power

Like the ships before them, Explora V and Explora VI will run on liquefied natural gas, or LNG. They are also designed to use bio-LNG, synthetic LNG and biofuels as those fuels become available.

Every ship in the fleet can plug into shore power. That lets crews switch off the engines while the ship is docked, which cuts engine emissions in port.

Explora VI will also carry fuel cell technology. Explora V is designed so that fuel cells can be added.

A big bet on Italian shipbuilding

The numbers behind the fleet are large. MSC says it is investing more than 3.5 billion euros in the six ships. It says that spending is creating more than 15 billion euros in economic impact in Italy.

Each ship takes more than seven million working hours to build. On average, about 2,500 people work on each one over two to three years.

The Sestri Ponente yard focuses on cruise ships. Fincantieri says it has built 19 ships there since 2003, and its order book runs to 2037.

What it means for cruisers

For luxury travelers, more ships mean more choice. Each new Explora ship adds sailings, ports and seasons to the brand's schedule. Explora III began its first Caribbean season this month.

The release did not share new itineraries or prices for Explora V or Explora VI. Those details will likely come closer to each ship's debut. Cruise Frog will cover them as they are announced.

Sources: Fincantieri press release and Explora Journeys press release, October 26, 2026.