Malta PM tours Abela toured MSC World Europa officially inagurates Valletta shore power

MSC World Europa is operating 7-night cruises throughout 2024 and 2025 between Malta, Spain, France and Italy

Malta’s Prime Minister Robert Abela toured MSC World Europa in Valletta as the ship officially inaugurated the port’s shore power facility, the first to be operational in the Mediterranean Sea, MSC said in its press release.

Valetta’s local power grid supplied electricity for MSC World Europa’s operations while the ship was berthed, allowing all engines to be switched off and eliminating the vessel’s direct emissions at the port to improve local air quality.  

Captain Stefano Battinelli showed the Prime Minister around the 22-deck LNG-powered ship. Michele Francioni, MSC Cruises’ Chief Energy Transition Officer, gave a presentation to Mr. Abela and other Maltese government officials covering the line’s decarbonization strategy for achieving net zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2050 for its marine operations.

MSC World Europa is operating 7-night cruises throughout 2024 and 2025 between Malta, Spain, France and Italy.

Michele Francioni, Chief Energy Transition Officer, MSC Cruises, said: “Shore power is one very important element of our continued commitment toward decarbonization, with most of our fleet equipped to eliminate local emissions and improve local air quality when the ships are at berth in port, and we can switch off their engines as local shoreside electricity powers the operation.

“It was a great honor to show the Prime Minister of Malta of how his country has led the way for shore power in the Mediterranean Sea, our major market for holidays at sea, and we look forward to many more ports in the region and throughout the world being equipped in the future so that the cruise and broader maritime sector can further reduce local emissions in ports.”

MSC Cruises’ target by the end of 2024—when 16 of the line’s 22 vessels will be equipped to receive shoreside electricity at a port—is for 220 shore power connections among its fleet at destinations in China, Norway, Germany, the UK and Malta.  As more ports make shore power available, MSC Cruises’ ships will use local electricity grids.  

MSC Cruises aims to add at least 15 new ports to its shore power plan between 2024 and 2026.  Among them are Barcelona, Hamburg, Valencia, Marseille, Copenhagen, and five in Italy at Genoa, La Spezia, Civitavecchia, Naples and Trieste, plus at the company’s new cruise terminal in Miami that will become fully operational next year.

MSC Cruises has categorized its strategy to achieve net zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2050 for its marine operations into three pillars of activity: ship and engine technology (which includes shore power connectivity), operational efficiency, and renewable fuels.

About MSC Cruises

Headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, MSC Cruises is the world’s third largest cruise line and the market leader in Europe, South America, the Middle East and Southern Africa, with a strong and growing presence in North America and the Far East. The MSC Cruises fleet consists of 22 modern ships with three new vessels due to be launched in 2025, 2026, and 2027. The Company operates in more than 100 countries around the world, offering cruises across five continents, calling at more than 300 destinations and welcoming more than 180 different nationalities on board. MSC Cruises is firmly committed to achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions for its marine operations by 2050.