Madrid, November 8, 2019 – Today, on the occasion of the celebrations held in Hamburg, Germany, for the entry into service of its most environmentally advanced ship to date, MSC Grandiosa, MSC Cruises announces its commitment to becoming the world's first fully carbon-neutral cruise company.
Pierfrancesco Vago, Executive Chairman of MSC Cruises, commented: “Our focus on innovation since we built our first ships in 2003 ensures that we have one of the most modern fleets at sea, as well as one of the best-performing in the environment. And, thanks to our long-term planning, this will allow us to achieve a 29% reduction in carbon intensity (rate) across the entire fleet by 2024 compared to 2008, fully in line with our path to meeting the 40% reduction target set for 2030.”
“Furthermore, last week we announced the PACBOAT project, powered by Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) and featuring energy cell technology, aboard MSC Europa, the first of five LNG-powered cruise ships to join our fleet. This is not only a world first for a technology that promises to be more efficient for high-power maritime operations, but also another concrete example of our firm commitment to partnering with and supporting the accelerated development of next-generation technologies that will lead us and this industry to zero-emission maritime operations.”.
“As we recognize that today’s even more advanced maritime environmental technology is insufficient to immediately achieve carbon neutrality, the additional commitment we are making today ensures that our fleet will not make a negative contribution to climate change, starting January 1, 2020. We are a company with over 300 years of maritime heritage and a long-term, historical approach that is especially typical of family businesses like ours. For us, this is another step forward in our long-term commitment to protecting the oceans, the destinations we visit, and the port communities we touch.”.
MSC Cruises will offset all direct carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from its fleet's maritime operations through a combination of carbon offset projects developed in accordance with the highest standards by leading international organizations taking immediate action on greenhouse gas emissions. All offset costs, as well as any other associated expenses, will be covered directly and in full by the company.
Mr. Vago added: “We will work with leading carbon credit providers capable of offsetting CO2 emissions with the highest level of integrity. Our vision is also to invest in projects that provide quantifiable benefits to the community, protect the environment, and support the UN Sustainable Development Goals.”
In particular, MSC Cruises aims to develop a carbon offset portfolio that incorporates projects protecting and restoring coastal and ocean habitats while absorbing more CO2 than currently occurs. As blue carbon projects focused primarily on coastal habitats are currently scarce, MSC Cruises will support the development of what it intends to become the first carbon credits generated from the vast ocean, representing a significant new means of protecting and enhancing marine biodiversity and supporting communities that depend on the highly pressurized resources of the sea.
Mr. Vago concluded: “Blue carbon offsets will be a specific area of focus in our commitment to achieving carbon neutrality with immediate effect. We will put our people and resources to work to support the development of the specific types of projects and enabling certification processes that can generate this innovative form of offsetting, which directly benefits the oceans and coastal communities. As more of these become available, we will steadily increase our reliance on them as an additional area of focus within our overall long-term commitment to achieving zero-emission operations.”
MSC Cruises' commitment to zero-emission operations also includes a specific focus on energy efficiency and other aspects of its point-to-point operations beyond emissions. In particular, since 2017, all new MSC Cruises ships have been equipped with ship-to-shore (SSH) docking facilities, a feature that allows ships to immediately achieve zero emissions in any port that has this technology. This will provide an even greater overall benefit when the onshore energy source is renewable.
Details of MSC Cruises' carbon-neutral initiative will be revealed later today at a briefing aboard MSC Grandiosa, MSC Cruises' new flagship and one of the most environmentally advanced ships to date. MSC Grandiosa was delivered to the company last week. On the same day, MSC Cruises began construction of MSC Europa, the first of five LNG-powered cruise ships scheduled to enter service between 2022 and 2027.
MSC Grandiosa and MSC Europa represent a significant step towards MSC Cruises' goal of minimizing and continuously reducing the environmental footprint of its fleet.
