MSC Cruises and Chantiers de l'Atlantique have celebrated the delivery of MSC Euribia, a ship featuring the most energy-efficient cruise ship design ever. This delivery marks another significant step in the company's fleet decarbonization efforts and effectively demonstrates the future of cruising.
MSC Euribia is the evolution of the Meraviglia class and MSC Cruises' second LNG-powered ship. Onboard, it boasts best-in-class environmental technology, including advanced wastewater treatment and waste management systems. It has also been designed with the future in mind, allowing for the easy integration of sustainability innovations such as carbon-neutral synthetic fuels and other alternative fuels as soon as they become available at scale.
Pierfrancesco Vago, CEO of MSC Group's Cruise Division, said: “With the delivery of MSC Euribia, we have taken another major step towards our goal of zero greenhouse gas emissions. In addition to its numerous environmental innovations, MSC Euribia features a truly groundbreaking energy-efficient design that will significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions throughout its lifetime.”.
“We must not forget the essential role that energy efficiency will play in reducing current energy demand. The cleanest energy is the energy we don’t use, and MSC Euribia has been built with this principle at its core. This is why its entry into service marks such an important milestone towards our goal of achieving net-zero CGH maritime operations by 2050.”.
MSC Euribia was built for the future. Although the ship can be powered by liquefied natural gas, its design allows for the use of renewable fuels, such as green methanol. Other cutting-edge technologies include advanced water and waste treatment facilities.
Mr. Vago added: “It is important for us that our ships are ready to accommodate the new sustainable fuels that are on the horizon. We also want to ensure that they can easily adapt to new technologies and efficiencies that will help achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions. This is truly a ship built with the future in mind.”.
MSC Euribia will complete a zero-emission voyage. The newly built ship will sail from Saint-Nazaire, France, to Copenhagen, Denmark, achieving net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to demonstrate that a net-zero emissions cruise is possible today.
This journey will use bio-LNG and the entire supply chain will fully comply with the EU Renewable Energy Directive (RED II) and each individual batch of the total bio-LNG produced has been certified by the International Sustainability & Carbon Certification (ISCC).
MSC Group's cruise division has committed to achieving net-zero GHG emissions in its maritime operations by 2050. MSC Cruises is working with fuel suppliers and other stakeholders on the deployment of sustainable fuels such as advanced biofuels and biogas.
The coin-throwing ceremony for the third LNG-powered ship in the MSC Cruises fleet, and its first based in the U.S., MSC World America, also took place as another step towards creating a world where technology meets innovation for a more sustainable cruise experience. The new ship, scheduled for 2025, will feature many of the environmental innovations already in place, as well as pioneering technology to virtually eliminate methane emissions from LNG during operation. The two godmothers at this traditional ceremony were Silvia Turbia, from the MSC Cruises Group's cruise division, and Séverine Blandin, from Chantiers de l'Atlantique.
MSC Euribia can be powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG), which virtually eliminates sulfur oxides and particulate matter and reduces nitrogen oxides by 85%. It also reduces greenhouse gas emissions by up to 20% (in CO2 equivalent).
LNG is a transitional fuel, and in the future, ship design can be adapted to allow our LNG-powered vessels to run on environmentally friendly methanol. MSC Cruises is committed to using renewable fuels and accelerating the energy transition to net-zero energy.
MSC Euribia boasts the most energy-efficient cruise ship design ever created. It will achieve an IMO Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI) 55% higher than current requirements and is expected to be the world's most efficient cruise ship upon its launch. MSC Euribia will emit up to 19% less greenhouse gas emissions per passenger per day than its sister ships, which use conventional marine fuels. MSC Euribia will also emit up to 44% less greenhouse gas emissions per passenger per day than ships built just 10 years ago.
Advanced water and waste treatment facilities are also included.
MSC Cruises is committed to becoming a net-zero GHG emissions company by 2050. Looking ahead, green hydrogen and methanol are likely to contribute to its decarbonization, as are synthetic e-fuels. The goal is to develop scalable solutions that can be used universally.
