For the first time, MSC Cruises connected to the shore power grid at the Ostuferhafen cruise terminal in Kiel over the weekend.
The port's local power grid supplied electricity for the ship's operations while it was docked to eliminate direct emissions with the engines off.
The MSC Euribia will use electricity on land up to 20 times in Kiel during the summer season.
The refueling of the liquefied natural gas (LNG) was also completed in Kiel before the Euribia set sail on its seven-night voyage to Copenhagen.
This is the first time these two processes have taken place simultaneously.
Michele Francioni, MSC Cruises' Energy Transition Director, said: “We committed to increasing our use of land-based energy wherever it is available to us, and we are pleased with this new milestone we achieved in Kiel this past weekend and two weeks ago in Hamburg for MSC Preziosa.”
“Now we need more ports in Europe and other continents to provide shore power so we can further reduce local air emissions. We will retrofit three more ships in 2024 – MSC Magnifica, MSC Musica, and MSC Splendida – with shore power connectivity to ensure our ships are ready to connect to local power grids wherever infrastructure allows.”.
“This further demonstrates our commitment and continued progress towards decarbonization, as well as reducing emissions from our ships while docked in ports“.
Launched in 2023, the MSC Euribia is the second ship in the shipping company's fleet powered by LNG.
By the end of this year, and depending on the availability of port infrastructure, MSC Cruises plans to have at least 220 connections to the local power grid, with 16 of its ships equipped with connectivity to the power grid on land.
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