By
Alex Smith |
MSC World Europa has become the first ship to connect to the shore power facility in Valletta, Malta, the first to be operational in the Mediterranean Sea.
Valletta’s local power grid supplied electricity for MSC World Europa’s operations while the ship was berthed, allowing all engines to be switched off to eliminate the vessel’s direct emissions at the port.
The Prime Minister of Malta, Robert Abela, was shown around the LNG-powered ship by the master of MSC World Europa, Captain Stefano Battinelli. Abela and other Maltese government officials were also given a presentation by Michele Francioni, chief energy transition officer for MSC Cruises, on the cruise line’s decarbonisation strategy to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 for its marine operations.
Abela was given a tour of the World-class ship during his time onboard
“Shore power is one very important element of our continued commitment towards decarbonisation with most of our fleet equipped to eliminate local emissions and improve local air quality when the ships are at berth in port, and we can switch off their engines as local shoreside electricity powers the operation,” said Francioni. “It was a great honour to show the Prime Minister of Malta of how his country has led the way for shore power in the Mediterranean Sea, our major market for holidays at sea, and we look forward to many more ports in the region and throughout the world being equipped in the future so that the cruise and broader maritime sector can further reduce local emissions in ports.”
MSC Cruises is targeting 220 shore power connections by the end of 2024 at destinations in China, Norway, Germany, the UK and Malta, with 16 of the cruise line’s 22 ships equipped to receive it.
The cruise line also aims to add at least 15 new ports to its shore power plan between 2024 and 2026. These include Barcelona and Valencia in Spain, Hamburg in Germany, Marseille in France, Miami in the USA and Genoa, La Spezia, Civitavecchia, Naples and Trieste in Italy.