MSC Cruises’ World Europa has connected to shore power in Valletta, Malta, the first operational shore power facility in the Mediterranean, according to a press release.

Earlier this year, the cruise line performed the first tests at Valletta in order to refine the shore power implementation process. 

The plug in in Valletta follows recent successful connections in Northern Europe at Warnemünde in Germany, the Norwegian ports at Bergen, Aalesund and Haugesund, and Southampton in the UK. Earlier this year, MSC Cruises also inaugurated a new shore power facility in Kiel, Germany.

MSC Cruises aims to add at least 15 new ports to its shore power plan between 2024 and 2026, with several ports in Italy, including Genoa, La Spezia, Civitavecchia, Naples and Trieste, as well as Barcelona, Hamburg, Valencia, Marseille, Copenhagen, and the new cruise terminal in Miami that opens next year.

Michele Francioni, SVP of cost optimization and process improvement at MSC Cruises, said: “Our shore power plan demonstrates that we are fully committed to reducing emissions from our ships. Using shore power is a major step forward because it allows us to eliminate a ship’s direct emissions whilst berthed.

“We need more ports across Europe and beyond to introduce shore power as quickly as possible so that we can further reduce local air emissions. We will ensure our ships are ready to connect wherever the facilities are available to us. Connecting MSC World Europa to the shore power in Valletta is a proud achievement and we are grateful for the collaboration and excellent cooperation with Transport Malta, Infrastructure Malta and the Maltese authorities, as well as with the Cruise Port of Valetta.”