MSC Cruises publishes its 2023 sustainability report

MSC Cruises has today published its 2023 Sustainability Report with a review of the results of the last 12 months in the environmental, social and governance areas.

The report also includes information on MSC Cruises' sister company, Explora Journeys, which launched EXPLORA I last year, the first of six ships in its fleet. Detailed data tables on operations, emissions, water, waste, staffing, and gender distribution are also included.

Pierfrancesco Vago, CEO of MSC Group's Cruises division, stated: “We began publishing the annual Sustainability Report in 2019, so this is our fifth report. During this time, our commitment to achieving our goals remains as strong as ever. Our approach to environmental, social, and governance issues has become more sophisticated as we have employed more ways to manage our activities in a more dynamic manner.”

“This reflects our passion, not only for meeting stakeholder expectations and navigating a complex regulatory landscape, but for introducing meaningful and measurable changes that will have a long-term positive impact on our passengers, our employees and our planet.”.

“We remain fully committed to our goal of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, in line with the International Maritime Organization’s strategy. But achieving net-zero emissions cannot be done alone. We continue to work closely with our closest partners, such as shipyards, technology providers, fuel suppliers, and many others. We continue to advocate for fair regulation that does not discriminate against our industry.”.

Highlights of activities in 2023

• The fleet's carbon intensity improved by 6.5% compared to 2022, representing a 37.8% reduction since 2008. This progress puts the shipping company on track to meet the IMO's target of reducing carbon intensity by 40% before the 2030 deadline.
• The MSC Euribia, the second ship powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG), was inaugurated with a voyage from France to Denmark with net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. MSC Cruises remains committed to LNG as a fundamental path towards maritime decarbonization.
• The shipping company's ships carried out 44 electrical connections to shore in eight ports in Norway, Germany, the United Kingdom and Malta.
• Desalination produced 87.2% of the freshwater needs on board the ships of the fleet - more than 6.4 million cubic meters.
• Collaboration with NatureMetrics, specialists in nature intelligence and environmental DNA, to analyze seawater samples from three ships, identifying more than 4,000 different animal species using DNA identification techniques, and making the results available to the scientific community.

The report also shows that in 2023 MSC Cruises' fleet of 22 ships carried 4,081,393 passengers, made 385 itineraries to 102 countries around the world and offered 2,150 different shore excursions.

The workforce grew to 49,874 people of 144 different nationalities, with 18,866 new hires during the year. In 2023, a new incentive package for the crew was introduced, including salary increases, improved staff turnover, and more training opportunities.