He started his career with MSC in 1993 in the cargo division. In 1997 he transferred to cruise ships, starting with MSC Rhapsody and progressing to the highest role of Master on MSC Musica in 2016. He has held all official ranks within the company, becoming First Officer in 2006. During over 20 years as a proud member of the MSC family, he has covered nearly all the global destinations served by the company.

24 years service with MSC, 1 year experience as Master
On board MSC Musica*

*Information subject to change
(Updated 2017)

Master Manzi started his career with MSC Cargo in 1972 and in the 1975 he was promoted to the rank of first officer until 1985. The following year, Master Manzi decided to change to passenger liners and moved to Carnival Cruise Lines where , following the required career steps, he became Master and commanded passenger vessels from 1999 to 2003. In 2004 Master Manzi returned to MSC where he took command of MSC Sinfonia. Captain Manzi is in his 14th season of commands on MSC passenger vessels, of which three have been on the largest class, Fantasia. Master Manzi has commanded all classes of the MSC Cruises' fleet, apart from MSC Melody.

(Updated 2016)

He joined MSC as a highly-experienced officer with Carnival Cruise Lines, preceded by many years as the Master of giant Chevron petrol tankers voyaging all over the world. Notwithstanding his distinguished career, Pier Paolo was required to undergo two months’ familiarisation training before gaining the command of MSC Opera when he joined MSC Cruises in 2011. Master Scala has vast experience in podded propulsion systems and has commanded various ships in the Lirica and Musica Classes. 

4 years service with MSC Cruises, 4 years experience as Master

On board MSC Seaside* 

*Information subject to change 
(Updated 2017)

Master Ponti started his career with MSC Cargo in 1982 with the rank of first officer. He was given his first command of MSC Cargo vessels four years later in 1986, and went on to command these vessels for 21 seasons. Due to his extensive experience, especially on larger and new generation vessels, in 2005 MSC offered him his first command of a passenger vessel. Master Ponti is in his 12th season of commands on MSC passenger vessels, of which three have been the largest class, Fantasia. Master Ponti has commanded all classes of the MSC Cruises' fleet, apart from MSC Melody.

On board MSC Preziosa*

*Information subject to change
(Updated 2016)

He joined MSC Cruises in 1999 on board Rhapsody as a Cadet Officer. He has served through the ranks most recently serving in the position of Staff Master on board MSC Opera and has been an invaluable member of the on board team throughout the years. Master Aiello successfully completed a number of tasks and manoeuvres using the simulator, which not only shows his vast capability of ship handling but exemplary service and devotion to his duty and how he sets an outstanding example to others. Master Aiello has faced many challenging situations throughout his career, from the reflagging of a vessel to closing down the MSC Melody. MSC have has entrusted Master Aiello with a number of projects because of his abilities and how much he is respected by both the Shore-side and on board teams.

18 years service with MSC, he is Master on board MSC Opera
(Updated 2017)

He began his seafaring career with MSC in 1993, rising through the ranks to become Second Officer in 1999. After a period with other cruise companies, he returned to MSC as a Staff Captain in 2005, continuing at this rank until 2009 when he was promoted to Master.

He began his career as a deck cadet in 1992 on board the M/N Achille LAURO. In the following years he worked on MSC Symphony, MSC Rhapsody, MSC Melody and MSC Monterey.
From 2003 to 2005 he followed the construction projects in the Saint Nazaire shipyard. In 2009 he was promoted to Staff Captain, and finally Master in 2018.

He joined MSC as a Third Officer in our Cargo Division in 1994. Immediately distinguished by his diligence and professionalism, he achieved steady progress with a transfer to the Cruise Fleet in 1999, promotion to the rank of Staff Captain in 2006 and his first command as Master in 2012.

He started his career as Deck Boy in 1987 on cargo vessel and continued until the position of 2nd Deck Officer. On 1993 he has been transferred from the cargo to the cruise division, on board the SS Monterey as 3rd Officer and continued his career on the same ship up the rank of Safety Officer. He then moved to MSCCTD at the Safety and New Building Division, where he served from 1995 until 1997. He was promoted to the position of Staff Captain on 1998.
From 2003 until 2008 he was involved in the Mega Yacht Industry. In 2012 he came back to the Cruise Industry.

Captain Rossi graduated from the Nautical Institute Leon Pancaldo in Savona, Italy. He started his career in 1992 on oil tankers, to move to ferries and subsequently to cruise lines in the year 2000, where he gained the role of Safety Officer first and ultimately of Staff Captain in 2010. He finally joined MSC Cruises where he was promoted Master in 2019.

He joined MSC Cruises as a Second Officer in 1994, having already acquired substantial experience in the cruise industry. In 2001, he was promoted to Staff Master on MSC Monterey and then to Master in 2005.
Captain Romano has led ships in the Lirica and Musica classes as well as MSC Melody.

He started his career on 1999 in MSC cargo ships while he was still studying at Nautical Institute in Piano di Sorrento, Italy. Since then, he continued to work for MSC cargo division until reaching the rank of Chief Officer. In 2010, he then moved to the MSC cruise division as Second Officer on the MSC Orchestra. Since then, he continued his career as First Officer, Safety Officer, Staff Captain roles and then promoted to Captain on MSC Divina in 2022.

He began his career with MSC as a First Officer in 1982, gaining promotion to Captain and his first command with MSC’s Cargo Division in 1988. Having gained extensive experience as a Master of the Group’s cargo ships for 23 seasons, MSC Cruises offered him his first command of a cruise ship, the MSC Monterey, in 2006.

He graduated from the Maritime University in Gdynia, Poland 1989, when he started his career on cargo vessels. In 1995 he moved to passenger ships and served in few cruising companies up to the position of Staff Captain. In 2019 he joined MSC Cruises and took command of MSC Armonia. Captain Piotr has experience also on azimuthal propulsion.

Master Raffaele Ponti started his career with MSC Cargo in 1979 with the rank of third officer. In 1990 he was given his first command of a cargo ship on MSC Barbara. In 2006, after 23 seasons, MSC Cruises offered him his first command of a cruise ship, on MSC Lirica. Master Ponti has commanded Lirica class ships and the MSC Melody.

Master Di Palma started his career with MSC in 1994 as Cargo Ship Deck Cadet, showing immediately good qualities during watch keeping. In 1998 he was embarked on passenger ships where he first covered the position of chief mate then of Safety Officer until the role of Staff Captain and then Master in 2014.

Master Pontecorvo started his career with MSC Cargo in 1982 when he embarked on board MSC Corinna as deck cadet. In 1990 he embarked for the first time on a passenger ship as 2nd Officer and from 1995 to 2000 he held the rank of Staff Captain.
In 2000 he was promoted to Master of MSC Monterey and after MSC Cargo ships, where he remained until 2004 after a total of 6 embarks. In 2004 he chose to permanently command passenger ships and in 2010 he was given the command of MSC Splendida.
He has commanded all classes of the MSC Cruises' fleet.

He joined MSC Cargo as an experienced First Officer in 1993. Immediately recognized for his abilities and character over two sailing periods, he was promoted to the rank of Master and given his first command of a cargo ship in 1994. He then continued to captain MSC Cargo ships for a total of thirteen sailing periods.
In 2007, he was given the command of MSC Melody, his first cruise ship, and is now in his sixth sailing period with MSC Cruises. Master Pinto has commanded various ships in the Lirica Class as well as MSC Melody, including the voyage of her attack by pirates, when his prompt skills secured the safety of all guests and crew.

Master Marco Massa started his career on June 1995 on Old fashion Ship MSC Symphony as Junior Cadet Officer, during next years he was sailing on MSC Rhapsody and MSC Melody, as Navigator Officer, on cruise all around Mediterranean, Caribbean, South Africa and South America coasts.

In 2003 he embarked on New MSC Cruise Ship, in construction in the Saint Nazaire Yard, the MSC Lirica as Environmental Officer and subsequently on MSC Opera year after. He was employed as Safety Officer on MSC Opera and MSC Sinfonia and then in charge of new constructions and Start-ups. He was promoted Master in 2012.

Captain Maresca graduated from the Nautical School in Piano di Sorrento in 1998 and started his maritime career in in the cargo division. After obtaining the Master license in 2006, he moved to the cruise division where he was promoted as Safety Officer. In 2012 he was Staff Captain on the MSC Magnifica, and in 2019 he became Master.

He started his career at MSC in 1995 as a Deck Cadet. His first command came in 2006, on cargo ship MSC Veronique at the age of just 33. Between 2006 and 2012 he commanded 12 ships, including MSC Bettina, one of the largest in the MSC cargo fleet at the time. In 2012 he transferred to cruise ships, firstly as First Officer on board MSC Musica. In September 2016 he took command of his first cruise ship, MSC Lirica in China.

Master Giuseppe Maresca started his career with MSC Cargo in 1989 as deck cadet on MSC Ilaria. He demonstrated extraordinary skill and was given his first command of a cargo vessel when he was only 34. He held this rank for eight seasons before moving to his first command of a passenger ship in 2007, on MSC Lirica.

He graduated at Nautical Institute Venier in Venice, Italy, to start his career on gas tankers in 1991. After seven years he moved to cruise lines and in 2006 he became Staff Captain of azipod propulsion ships. He was promoted to Master in 2013 and finally joined MSC Cruises in 2021.

He graduated from the Nautical institute “Luigi Rizzo” of Catania in 1984 and started his career aboard petrochemical ships in Genoa. In 1988 he joined the cruise industry, rising to the role of Master in 2006. From 2015 to 2017 he took on the prestigious role of Fleet Captain overseeing operations for all lines of a major cruise company. After thirty years of experience, in 2018 he joined MSC Cruises becoming the MSC Sinfonia Master.

Captain Iacono joined on MSC cargo vessels in 2001, and three years later he was transferred to the cruise division. In 2008 he received the upgrade to first officer, and as Safety Officer he served on various ships, gaining experience in USA and Nord Europe. He was subsequently promoted to Staff Captain and he became Master of MSC Musica in 2019.

He embarked upon his MSC Cruises career as a Second Officer in 1992, gaining promotion to the rank of Staff Captain in 2004 and then to Master in 2009, when he gained command of his first ship at MSC’s Cargo Division. With two seasons’ experience under his belt, he transferred back to MSC Cruises to Master MSC Sinfonia in 2011.

He began his MSC career as a Deck Officer in our Cargo Division in 1996, transferring to the Group’s Cruise Division as Third Officer in 1998. His dedication and professionalism were rewarded with steadily increasing promotions and experience, which took him to the rank of Staff Master in 2006, until 2012 when he became Master.

He graduated from the Nautical Institute Francesco Caracciolo in the Italian island of Ischia. He was promoted to various ranks on cargo ships until he became Staff Captain in 2016. He joined MSC Cruises after 15 years of experience with another major cruise line, and he was promoted to Master on MSC Orchestra in 2019. 

Captain Gazzano started his career at sea in 1981. He joined the cruise industry in 1996, where he worked his way to obtain the role of Staff Captain and eventually Captain. All along he kept on training refining his manoeuvring/ships handling and management skills alike. He finally joined MSC Cruises in 2021.

He joined MSC Cargo in 1981 at the very beginning of his career as an ordinary seaman on MSC Juba. Strong performance ensured swift progress, taking him to the rank of Second Officer when he moved to his first passenger ship in 1990, and bringing his first command as Master of a cargo ship in 1996 when he was just 30 years old, to then return to passenger vessels in 2005.

Raised in the Italian Sorrento peninsula, where seafaring traditions are strong, he attended the Nautical Institute Nino Bixio. During his career, he acquired considerable experience as first Officer, Staff Captain and Master for several shipping lines. For ten years he has been Master on MSC cargo vessels, before moving to the MSC cruise division

He graduated from the Nautical institute Francesco Caracciolo in 1983 and immediately after proceeded to work on cargo ships with rank of Deckhand and then moved up in different ranks. In 1996 he was promoted First Officer.

Captain Battinelli joined MSC after twenty years of experience with the cruise industry. Despite his prestigious career, Stefano underwent a month of training before becoming the MSC Orchestra Master in December 2017. Master Battinelli has a wide experience in New Building and has been in charge of various classes of ships.

He started his career as Deck Cadet in 1998 on cargo vessel. On 2003 he has been transferred on cruise division, on board MSC Lirica as 2nd Officer. He embarked several times on MSC Lirica and MSC Opera as navigator and stability Officer.

From 2006 until 2011 he followed the building of new constructions in the Saint Nazaire shipyard as Safety Officer. On 2011 he was promoted as Staff Captain and he was also involved in the start-up of MSC Divina and MSC Preziosa. In 2016 he became Master.

He graduated at Nautical Institute in Torre del Greco and he started his career at sea in 1981 with "Tirrenia di Navigazione " with the rank of Deck Cadet. After proceeded to work on cargo ships covering different positions and he was assigned to FINCANTIERI New Building Team as Ship Manager . He joined the Cruise Industry in 1997 covering the Captain position for many years. Recently Captain Miele covered temporarily for eight months the position of "Pilot" in Porto Nogaro. He joined the MSC after 24 years of experience in the cruise industry.

Captain Cilento was born and raised in Montechiaro, a small village of the Sorrento Peninsula. His dream as a child was to work at sea and in 2005, after graduating from the Nautical Academy Nino Bixio, in Piano di Sorrento, Italy, he started working on board the container vessel MSC Melissa. In 2010, after gaining the Officer of the Watch License he moved to the cruise ship division and boarded MSC Melody. In 2015 he was promoted to Safety Officer and he was assigned to the role of Fleet Safety Trainer, assisting Captains and Crew during safety inspectios preparations. In 2017 he was promoted to Staff Captain and worked on several ships until 2022 when he was promoted to Captain of MSC Opera.

Captain Sapetti graduated from the Nautical Institute Leon Pancaldo in Savona, Italy. He started his career in 1998 on reefer containers vessel, to move to cruise lines in the year 2000, where he gained the role of Safety Officer first and ultimately of Staff Captain in 2013. He finally joined MSC Cruise in 2018 where he was promoted Master in 2022.

Captain Sagani is a fourth generation ship captain. On completion of his studies at the Nautical Institute in his hometown Trieste, he joined the Italian Navy and served on a Mine-Hunter during the first Gulf War in 1990. After the Navy, he started his career on cargo vessels and in 1995 he joined the cruise industry. He quickly climbed the ranks and was promoted to Captain in 2007, since then he has been in command of many different classes of passengers ships, cruising many different itineraries around the world. Most recently, he was assigned to the newbuilding team and took delivery as Master of some new constructions from the Fincantieri shipyard. He has joined the MSC Cruises family after 27 years of experience in the Cruise industry.

He started his seagoing career in 1983 as an able bodied Seaman and ships cook, on cargo ships. Dreaming of a career as a cruiseship Master, he joined the Maritime Academy in 1988. In 1993 he embarked on his first cruiseship as 3rd Navigation Officer with a major cruiseline. While sailing in all continents and having completed 3 world cruises he climbed up through the ranks to get his first appointment as Master in 2008. With his expertise he has been assigned to the shipyard to oversee several newbuild projects and has held multiple office functions. He is well proficient with both conventional as well as Azimuthal propulsion systems. At the beginning of 2022 he was proud to be welcomed into the MSC Cruises family.

Captain Chris Pugh qualified from Warsash Maritime College in Southampton, England. He started his career in 2001 at the age of 16, onboard Container ships, later moving to various Cruise vessels, ferries, and other passenger vessels. He finally joined MSC Cruises in 2019 where he was promoted to Master in 2022.

Originally from Marsala, on the island of Sicily, he graduated as Master Mariner License in 1977 in the Nautical College of Trapani. His career at sea expands for over 45 years, 27 of them working in the Cruise industry, moving up to the rank of Captain in 2000. First, Captain Sammartano worked on tankers for sixteen years and spent two years in the Italian Navy. Later on he joined one of the major cruise lines, where he was also promoted to Fleet Captain. In January 2022 he joined MSC Cruises as Captain.

Captain Paparo attended Nino Bixio Nautical Institute in Sorrento, and during his summer holidays he joined cargo vessels to enrich his skills. Once graduated in 1997, he started to work on ferry vessels as Deck Cadet, until 2002 when he joined the cruise industry. In 2008 he was promoted First Officer, and ten years later he reached the role of Master. He is well proficient with new generation Azimuthal propulsion vessels, as well as conventional systems vessel. Captain Paparo joined MSC Cruises in 2022, after twenty years of experience in the cruise industry.