Madrid, June 1, 2018: With just days to go before MSC Seaview enters service, excitement continues to grow among cruise passengers, partner travel agencies, port officials, and the industry as a whole. While a team of nearly 4,000 people is working around the clock at the Fincantieri shipyard to put the finishing touches on the ship and prepare it for its inaugural season, MSC Cruises today announced some of the key environmental features of MSC Seaview, the third next-generation MSC Cruises ship to enter service in the last 12 months.
MSC Seaview will be one of today's most innovative ships, also in terms of the environmental technology it will employ. In fact, it will not only meet the highest international standards in this regard, but will also receive, from the international classification society RINA (in addition to its main Class ratings), its "Green Star 3 Design" distinction in recognition of the attention paid to these aspects during the ship's design and construction. The RINA Green Star 3 distinction, the latest and most comprehensive edition of RINA's additional Green STAR Class ratings, specifically recognizes that MSC Seaview achieves the highest levels of environmental compatibility thanks to the significant number of innovative measures implemented, which help reduce the environmental impact during operations. These include, among others, the exhaust gas cleaning system, advanced wastewater treatment, systems for preventing oil discharges from machinery spaces, the ballast water treatment system, and the ship's Environmental Management Plan.
Overview of the environmental technology and other related innovations featured on board MSC Seaview:
Energy efficiency of the hull and overall design: For the Seaside Class, of which MSC Seaview is the second ship to enter service, MSC Cruises completely redesigned the hull design and the overall layout of the deck space, as well as the weight distribution. The overall design of the ship, the hull, the rudder, and the bow bulb are configured to achieve optimal hydrodynamics and aerodynamics, as well as to maximize energy and fuel efficiency.
Exhaust Gas Cleaning System (EGCS) to minimize sulfur and particulate emissions: An EGCS removes up to 97.1% of sulfur dioxide and significantly reduces particulate matter. In order to meet or exceed increasingly stringent environmental standards, as well as to support the Company's environmental objectives, all of MSC Cruises' latest generation ships enter service already equipped with an EGCS. Ships in the existing fleet are also being retrofitted to EGCS technology. By the end of 2020, 13 of the 18 ships in the MSC Cruises fleet will be equipped with an EGCS. The system used on MSC Seaview, in particular, was developed by Wärtsilä.
Shore power to ship: MSC Seaview, like all MSC Cruises ships that have entered service since 2017, is already equipped to receive shore power (a method also called "cold ironing," which allows docked cruise ships to connect to the local power grid). In addition, MSC Cruises ships that have entered service since 2006 (Fantasia and Musica classes) have a compartment to house the switches for shore power connection. MSC Cruises is already equipping its ships with this technology, which can help reduce air emissions in port areas, while port authorities around the world are increasingly considering the use of cold ironing and are already beginning to invest in it.
Ballast water treatment system: To protect the marine ecosystem where the ship sails, MSC Seaview is equipped with a ballast water treatment system that complies with the regulations established by the international governing body for ballast water management, the International Maritime Organization (IMO).
Environmental management on board: All ships in the MSC Cruises fleet have an environmental management plan and a dedicated Environmental Officer who ensures the constant monitoring and proper implementation of this plan. This Officer is also responsible for training and educating crew members on environmental and waste management.
Advanced Wastewater Treatment: MSC Seaview features an advanced wastewater treatment system that fully complies with regulatory standards and the highest industry criteria. The system, developed by Wartsilä/Hamworthy, treats wastewater to a very high quality and further processes it through precise filtration. The final product is a high-quality effluent, far exceeding the standards set by most global regulations for municipal land-based wastewater. The ship also has an electronic tool that helps ensure full compliance with various other local and regional environmental regulations.
Trim Optimization: MSC Seaview offers a software application that allows for real-time trim monitoring and optimization. This technology helps ship officers maintain optimized trim to reduce fuel consumption and maximize performance.
Energy-efficient LED lighting: MSC Seaview and other MSC Cruises ships use only energy-efficient LED and fluorescent lighting.
Intelligent Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) System: This system is one of the biggest energy consumers on a cruise ship, but the one used on board MSC Seaview is intelligently designed to reduce energy consumption. It intelligently distributes heat and cooling and is configured to recover heat, for example, from the laundry, which can be used to heat the pools or other parts of the ship.
MSC Seaview is the third ship to be built following MSC Cruises' 10-year investment plan of 10.5 billion euros, thanks to which two of the 12 next-generation ships have already been completed: MSC Meraviglia and MSC Seaside in May and November 2017, respectively.
MSC Seaview is the second ship in the Seaside Class and, like its sister ship MSC Seaside, pushes the boundaries of innovative shipbuilding and design. With 153,516 gross tons and a capacity for 5,331 passengers, it is the third new-build, next-generation mega cruise ship in the MSC Cruises fleet, and the second built by Fincantieri.
