Malta's Prime Minister, Robert Abela , visited the MSC World Europa in Valletta yesterday, July 10, when the ship inaugurated the port's shore power facilities, the first to be operational in the Mediterranean
The local electricity grid in Valletta supplied power for all operations of MSC World Europa while the ship was docked, allowing all engines to be switched off and eliminating direct emissions from the ship in the port to improve local air quality.
Captain Stefano Battinelli showed the Prime Minister and other Maltese government officials the 22-deck LNG-powered ship. Michele Francioni, MSC Cruises' Director of Energy Transition, also presented the line's decarbonization strategy to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 in its maritime operations.
The ship will operate seven-night cruises during 2024 and 2025 between Malta, Spain, France and Italy.
Michele Francioni, MSC Cruises' energy transition director, said: “Onshore power is a very important element of our ongoing commitment to decarbonization, as most of our fleet is equipped to eliminate local emissions and improve local air quality when the ships are docked in port, and we can turn off their engines while local electricity onshore powers the operation.”
“It was a great honor to show the Prime Minister of Malta how his country has led the way in coastal energy in the Mediterranean Sea, our main market for holidays at sea, and we hope that many more ports in the region and around the world will be equipped in the future so that the cruise industry and the maritime sector in general can further reduce local emissions in ports”.
By the end of 2024, MSC Cruises aims to equip 16 of its 22 ships with shore power connections, targeting 220 connections in ports in China, Norway, Germany, the UK and Malta.
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