NAPLES – Achieve zero greenhouse gas emissions for marine operations by 2050. This is the goal of MSC Cruises which illustrated the strategies for environmental sustainability by meeting journalists on board one of its “greenest” ships, the Msc World Europe and opening the doors of the most “noble” areas, such as the command bridge entrusted to Stefano Battimelli, up to the ‘garbage room’, where the compactors are at work 24 hours a day, significantly reducing the weight on the waste disposal front.
The Italian cruise giant is aiming for a real “Sustainability Action Plan” which includes six key macro-areas of work: transition to net zero emissions, controlling resource use and waste, supporting people, investing in sustainable tourism, building greener terminals and sustainable purchasing.
In 2023, the fleet reached 22 units with the arrival of MSC Euribia, powered by LNGcapable of reducing sulfur emissions by over 99%, nitrogen emissions by 85% and carbon dioxide emissions by 25%, almost completely eliminating particulate emissions.
On its delivery voyage from Saint Nazaire to Copenhagen, it was the first passenger vessel in the world to cruise with zero net greenhouse gas emissions, thanks to the use of bio-LNG with the mass balance system which represents the most effective method for obtaining the benefits of renewable biogas. The availability of these special fuels is still very limited. On that occasion the company had struggled quite a bit to find the 400 tons of biogas needed for the journey.
On 13 December 2023, for the first time a cruise ship connected to the electricity grid of a port in the Mediterranean, thus being able to turn off its engines and consequently eliminate emissions during the stop in port. It happened in Malta with World Europa.
Furthermore, last May 28, for the first time, MSC Euribia connected to the terrestrial electricity grid at the Ostuferhafen cruise terminal in Kiel. In this way the latest addition to the MSC fleet took advantage of the port’s electricity network for the ship’s hotel utilities while it was moored, thus completely eliminating direct emissions from the dual fuel engines which were turned off until the restart. It is expected that “Erubia” will repeat this operation up to 20 times in Kiel during its summer season.
At the same time, liquefied natural gas (LNG) was refueled before the ship continued its journey to Copenhagen in Denmark and from there on to the Norwegian fjords. This is the first time these two processes have been done at the same time.
In 2025 it will be the turn of MSC World America, the company’s third ship powered by LNG and in 2026 MSC World Asia. MSC Cruises – the company guarantees – “has already reduced its carbon dioxide emissions intensity by 35% since 2008 and is committed to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050”.
