MSC Cruises, Explora Journeys to add 15 ports with shore power

This applies to MSC Cruises and Explora Journeys.

Ports in nine countries

Included are at least five Italian ports; Barcelona and Valencia in Spain; Stavanger and Norfjordied, Norway; Miami, Copenhagen, Marseille, Rotterdam; Valletta, Malta and Stockholm.

The company also intends to use shore power at all other ports where it operates throughout Europe and the rest of the world when this is made available.

Since February 2023 MSC Cruises ships have used shore power at Southampton, UK and Kristiansand, Norway, and later this summer the company will test the facilities at Norway's Haugesund.  Other European trials this year are planned for a range of MSC Cruises ships at Bergen and Ålesund in Norway and Warnemünde in Germany.

 MSC Cruises also plans to use shore power at Hamburg this winter and at Kiel in summer 2024.

Last year the line was among the many to sign a memorandum of understanding with Cruise Baltic for shore power in the Baltic Sea. Cruise Baltic has 32 ports and destinations in its region that are committed to increase shore power facilities.

67% of capacity shore power-ready

MSC Cruises has fitted all its new ships since 2017 with shore power capability and together with retrofits completed on other vessels, 67% of its capacity is equipped. The company plans to retrofit more ships as the ports on their itineraries make shore power available.

All Explora Journeys’ ships will also feature shore power capabilities, with Explora I due to debut July 17.

Scrubbers, LNG, biofuel

'We have invested heavily in hybrid exhaust gas cleaning systems to substantially reduce local air quality emissions and we now need more ports across Europe and beyond to introduce shore power as quickly as possible,' Linden Coppell, VP sustainability & ESG, MSC Cruises. 'By making major reductions to emissions in ports, we are fulfilling our responsibility to the ports and coastal communities that our ships visit and serve.'

MSC just introduced its LNG-powered cruise ship, MSC Euribia, and is working to improve energy efficiency fleetwide. Euribia recently performed an industry first by sailing from France to Denmark with net zero GHG emissions, based on the mass balance system, by using renewable bio-LNG.