![Baek Hyun, CEO of Lotte Tour Development, right, poses with Oliviero Morelli, president of MSC Cruises Asia, after signing South Korea’s first charter-cruise contract on Jan. 27 at Lotte Tour’s Seoul branch in Jongno-gu, Seoul. [Photo= Lotte Tour Development]](https://image.ajunews.com/content/image/2026/01/28/20260128085504209314.jpg)
SEOUL, January 28 (AJP) - South Korea's Lotte Tour Development has partnered with global cruise operator MSC Cruises to operate a large cruise ship with South Korea as its home port.
The company said on Wednesday it signed a strategic partnership agreement with MSC Cruises on Jan. 27 covering charter operations. Under the agreement, the 170,000-ton MSC Bellissima will begin sailings from Incheon Port in June 2027. Lotte Tour Development described the vessel as the largest cruise ship to operate from a South Korean home port.
The MSC Bellissima is about 315 meters long, and can accommodate up to 5,600 passengers. Existing cruise ships used for charter operations in South Korea typically measure about 110,000 tons, the company said.
The inaugural itinerary will be a six-night, seven-day voyage departing from Incheon, calling at Keelung in Taiwan and Sasebo in Japan, before returning to Incheon.
* This article, published by Aju Business Daily, was translated by AI and edited by AJP.
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