Two new vessels under construction for MSC Cruises have reached significant milestones, bringing the ships closer to welcoming guests.
Both are liquified natural gas (LNG) powered vessels under construction at the Chantiers de l’Atlantique shipyard in Saint-Nazaire, France, and both milestones help bring the cruise line closer to its goal of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
Cruise Line Making Enormous Environmental Strides
With important milestones celebrated for two environmentally advanced vessels, MSC Cruises is making good progress toward its environmental sustainability commitments.
“We made an important pledge last year to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, leading the cruise industry on the path to decarbonisation,” said Pierfrancesco Vago, Executive Chairman, Cruise Division of MSC Group. “MSC World Europa and MSC Euribia will play a fundamental role in this journey.”
At different phases of their respective constructions, both vessels are still furthering the cruise line’s environmental progress.
MSC World Europa Completes Sea Trials
The first of MSC Cruises’ LNG-powered vessels, MSC World Europa, has successfully completed her initial set of sea trials.
These tests, conducted in the Atlantic Ocean, gauge the overall performance of the ship’s engines, including maneuverability, fuel consumption, safety systems, speed, and stopping distances, demonstrating that the new propulsion system is fully certified and ready for service.
“LNG is the cleanest marine fuel currently currently available at scale that reduces emissions significantly and also offers compatibility with future alternative fuel solutions for which we are actively investing in research and development, including a pilot LNG-powered solid oxide fuel cell onboard MSC World Europa,” said Vago.
MSC World Europa is the first of the line’s World-class vessels, and at 205,700 gross tons, she will be the largest LNG-powered vessel in the world. Measuring 1,092 feet long and 151 feet wide with 22 decks, she will be able to accommodate up to 6,774 passengers when she debuts in the Arabian Sea in December.
MSC Euribia Floated Out
Just as her fleet mate is one very significant step closer to officially joining the MSC Cruises fleet, MSC Euribia has also met a major construction milestone with her float out. This step is when water touches the ship’s hull for the first time, moving a vessel from dry dock to wet dock for further work.
MSC Euribia is a Meraviglia-plus-class vessel and also LNG-powered, with other environmental advancements that support the cruise line’s commitment to better environmental responsibility.
Named after the ancient goddess Eurybia who harnessed the winds, weather, and constellations to master the seas, the new vessel will not only have cleaner propulsion systems, but will in fact be the one of the most environmentally advanced ships in MSC Cruises’ fleet to date when she debuts in June 2023 with a series of northern European itineraries.
Along with MSC World Europa, MSC Euribia features additional environmental advancements, including shore-to-ship power connectivity, wastewater treatment systems compliant with the strictest global standard for wastewater disposal to sea, and underwater radiated noise management systems to reduce potential noise and vibration impact on marine mammals.
It isn’t just the large onboard machinery that is being designed for environmental responsibility on both vessels. Even smaller equipment and systems are being carefully designed to reduce energy consumption and optimize engine use, ensuring the most responsible sailing possible.
Furthermore, the line continues to research new technologies for even better environmental responsibility, and both MSC World Europa and MSC Euribia are being built with future technologies in mind.
“If bio or synthetic LNG was available at scale today, both our newbuilds could operate with net zero emissions from the very first day,” said Vago.
As MSC Cruises continues to lead the way in responsible cruising, there is no doubt that both vessels will have long and distinguished service careers with minimal environmental impact.
