MSC Cruises and the port of Kiel have officially inaugurated the shore power facility at the Ostuferhafen Terminal this weekend during MSC Euribia’s maiden call, according to a statement. 

The ceremony was attended by Prime Minister of Schleswig-Holstein Daniel Günther and Lord Mayor Ulf Kämpfer as well as port representatives, technical partner Siemens, MSC Euribia’s Captain Christopher Pugh and senior representatives of the cruise line.

Earlier this year, MSC Cruises signed an agreement for its ships to plug into Kiel’s local power grid to supply electricity to hotel operations while at berth and reduce emissions. The ship will call in Kiel 20 times during the summer of 2024.

The MSC Euribia will also use the shore power facility at Hamburg during the winter 2023-24 season in Northern Europe. 

VP Sustainability and ESG at MSC Cruises Linden Coppell: “The inauguration of shoreside power at Kiel’s Ostuferhafen terminal is another step forward on our decarbonization journey.  We expect around 15 new ports between 2024 and 2026 to be added to the list of ports with shore-power facilities that MSC Cruises can use to access the electricity grids in Europe. This further demonstrates our commitment to, and continued progress towards, decarbonization, as well as reducing emissions from our vessels  while berthed in ports.“