Malta’s Prime Minister Robert Abela toured MSC World Europa in Valletta on July 10 as the ship inaugurated the port’s shore power facility, the first operational in the Mediterranean.
According to a press release, Valletta’s local power grid supplied electricity for all 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.
The Prime Minister and other Maltese government officials were shown around the 22-deck LNG-powered ship by Captain Stefano Battinelli. Michele Francioni, MSC Cruises’ Chief Energy Transition Officer, also presented the line’s decarbonization strategy to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 for its marine operations.
The ship is operating seven-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 towards 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.”
By the end of 2024, MSC Cruises aims to equip 16 of its 22 vessels for shore power connections, targeting 220 connections across ports in China, Norway, Germany, the UK and Malta.
