Around the world, MSC is making history with the first liquefied natural gas (LNG)-powered mega cruise ship, the MSC Euribia .
The first ship to be powered entirely by liquefied natural gas (LNG), the MSC Euribia, was launched last week at the Fincantieri shipyard in the city of Monfalcone, northern Italy. Built at a cost of over $890 million, the ship will now undergo extensive testing before it is ready to reach the high seas. Sailing from Italy to Algeria, the ship will use natural gas for its 4,850 tons of fuel and power generators.
Another cruise company is turning to LNG as a primary driver for its fleet. MSC Cruises held a steel cutting and naming ceremony on June 28 in the shipyard where its newest ship, MSC Euribia, will be built.The vessel will be the second ship of three ships in the MSC line-up powered by the relatively environmentally friendly fuel and the 22nd ship in total in the MSC fleet. It is also the second vessel the company has named this week.
MSC is making significant investments to make the company’s growing fleet more environmentally friendly and achieve substantial environmental reductions.
MSC Euribia To Set Sail in 2024
MSC Euribia has been named after the Greek goddess of mastery of the seas (Eurybia), a more than fitting name for a vessel of this size. Like her sister ship MSC World Europa, she will weigh in at approximately 205,000 tons and carry 6,850 passengers, making it one of the biggest ships in the world.
The ship, which will be the company’s most environmentally efficient yet, will be built at the Chantiers de l’Atlantique shipyard in St. Nazaire, France. She will enter service in June 2024.
Also Read: MSC World Europa Itineraries Released
The traditional steel-cutting ceremony for MSC Euribia, a maritime custom for new ships, was held at the shipyard in France and attended to by MSC Cruises Executive Chairman Pierfrancesco Vago and the General Manager of the shipyard, Laurent Castaing.
Pierfrancesco Vago, MSC Cruises Executive Chairman said,
“Just as the ancient goddess harnessed the winds, weather and constellations to master the seas, our vision is for MSC Euribia to master the deployment of sustainable technologies to protect and preserve our precious marine ecosystem. This ship marks a new milestone in our journey towards net zero impact operations and is testament to our commitment to foster and develop next generation environmental technologies.”
Photo Courtesy: MSC Cruises
Massive Environmental Investments For MSC
MSC Cruises is investing more than USD 3.6 billion in three new LNG-powered vessels and investing millions more in upgrading its current ships to comply with environmental policies. LNG is quickly becoming the standard for new vessels. All major cruise lines now have plans to incorporate significantly cleaner fuel onboard their ships.
MSC World Europa will start sailing next year, MSC Euribia will sail the year after that, and the building of a third vessel will start in 2024. LNG is by far the cleanest marine fuel currently available on a wide scale. It all but eliminates local air pollutant emissions like sulfur oxides (99%), nitrogen oxides (85%), and particles (98%).
We regularly see a significant improvement over the black smoke coming from cruise ships running on Heavy Fuel Oil (HFO). The engines on MSC Euribia can reduce CO2 emissions by up to 25% compared to HFO.
Other environmental technologies that will feature in the new cruise ship include a selective catalytic reduction system that reduces NOx emissions by up to 90%, an advanced wastewater treatment system complying with the so-called ‘Baltic Standard,’ and an underwater radiated noise management system.
Environmental agencies will especially welcome this last system. The hull and engine room are designed to minimize acoustic sound impact, reducing harmful effects on marine fauna, particularly marine mammals in the surrounding waters.
With the construction of these three vessels, the company is taking a significant step towards being a more responsible player in the cruise industry. The question now is if the company’s standards in these vessels will be followed for its other ships and by the competition.
