Cruise & Ferry Review - Autumn/Winter 2021

1 1 8 INTERV IEW From well to wake, sustainability is key Susan Parker asks Linden Coppell why MSC Cruises is focusing on multiple options in its mission to improve the entire environmental life cycle of its ships M SC Cruises’ participation in the European Union- funded Project CHEK (deCarbonising sHipping by Enabling Key technology symbiosis on real vessel concept designs) alongside companies such as Wärtsilä, Climeon, Deltamarin, and Lloyds Register, is one part of its drive towards sustainability and increasing environmental efficiencies. Linden Coppell, director of sustainability at MSC Cruises, says: “CHEK is a reflection of the fact that not only is there no silver bullet to address decarbonisation, but that we also need to consider and integrate multiple technologies. It is about how we work logistically to maximise potential.” The first step in this three- year project is to create a baseline operational profile of a ship. This will allow improvements from multiple technologies, such as antifouling, waste-to-energy conversions and hydrogen engines, to be measured in terms of power consumption and the amount of fuel burned. Meanwhile, an itinerary optimisation tool will look at all aspects of itineraries and the ways in which they can be implemented to improve energy efficiency. This will be trialled on MSC Meraviglia. “These projects are really important to bring the right people together,” says Coppell. “We can only make the right decisions if we see how technologies work in practice.” When it comes to alternative fuels, it is clear that the subject is far more complex than it first appears to a layperson. “The challenge with synthetic fuels is that you need vast amounts of energy to produce them,” explains Coppell. “Unless we use renewable energy to create the ‘green’ hydrogen feedstock through electrolysis for example, we are simply transferring the energy demand further up the supply chain, replacing one environmental challenge for another. The issue with batteries is that they need recharging and this must also be done in a green way, again using renewable energy sources, to be of benefit.” Solar or wind farms could be a possible source of that renewable energy, says MSC World Europa will be the first in MSC Cruises’ fleet to operate using LNG fuel when she debuts in late 2021