Having made the pledge in 2021 to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, MSC Cruises today announced a number of new green moves, including plugging into shore power in more ports.

From the end of May throughout the 2022 summer season, two ships of MSC Cruises’ fleet will be consistently using shore power for the first time: the MSC Virtuosa in the United Kingdom at the Port of Southampton’s new Horizon Cruise Terminal, and the MSC Poesia in Rostock-Warnemünde, Germany.

Linden Coppell, Director of Sustainability at MSC Cruises, said: “We look forward to using shore power in Southampton and Warnemünde throughout the summer season and we congratulate the port authorities for their forward-thinking and innovative commitment. We at MSC Cruises are continuously striving to improve our environmental footprint, and shore power allows us to do so by drastically reducing our ships’ emissions while berthed. We need more ports in other key markets in Europe to introduce shore power as quickly as possible thus joining our efforts towards net-zero emissions by 2050 and greatly reducing our local air emissions.”

On April 5, Cruise Baltic and MSC Cruises entered a Memorandum of Understanding concerning their joint efforts to contribute to use of shore power supply in the Baltic Sea Region. The MoU, signed in acknowledgement of the importance of reducing man-made air pollution, highlights a mutual desire to contribute to improving the cruise industry’s environmental impact.

By the end of 2022, 11 of MSC Cruises’ 21 ships – including all the new ships built since 2017 – will be fitted with shore power capability. Existing ships are currently being or will be retrofitted in the future as their itineraries take them to ports where shore power will be available, the company said.

Coppell added: “We are committed to supporting authorities in developing shoreside power for our ships while in port. We have a clear and unequivocal position, that wherever shore power is available we will priorities ships that have that capability. To ensure compatibility with the visiting ships’ systems, we are collaborating closely with port authorities and engineering companies in charge of the infrastructure design. Aspects, such as onboard energy demands and ship technical systems, need to be considered as part of shore side planning.”

In addition, wherever MSC Cruises is involved in building and financing new terminals, the company said it ensures the designs take account of shore power requirements, providing the infrastructure, such as trenches for the power cables – current examples being the Cruise Division’s new terminals in Miami and Barcelona.