Following Costa Smeralda’s christening in Savona Saturday, this partnership agreement was announced on board Sunday in Marseille during the presentation of the new ship to institutions and partners of the city.
Pôle Mer Méditerranée is a sea innovation and business cluster created in 2005. Its 440 members aim to sustainably develop the maritime and coastal economy in the Mediterranean, Europe and worldwide.
Shore power using renewable energy
The implementation of a shore power system for cruise ships at the Port of Marseille Fos is among its goals, and this led to the partnership agreement with Costa Group. A study will look at the technical, environmental and financial feasibility for a system allowing the simultaneous connection of two cruise ships powered by renewable energy sources.
‘We have been forerunners in understanding the need to study, invest and implement sustainable innovation,’ said Michael Thamm, CEO Costa Group and Carnival Asia. ‘Our industrial plan incorporates the key principles of the United Nations 2030 agenda and we aim to cooperate with institutions, research centers and port authorities to join forces. The agreement we sign today is a further sign of our commitment to the Marseille community and the strong cooperation we have built with the Port of Marseille.’
Aim to eliminate ships' air emissions at berth
Hervé Martel, CEO of the Port of Marseille Fos, said that with the additional support of the Agence de l’Environnement et de la Maîtrise de l’Energie (Environment and Energy Management Agency), ‘Our ambition is to eliminate air emissions from moored cruise ships using greener and economically sustainable electricity.’
The Costa Group has been investing significantly in sustainable technologies and innovative projects to reduce its fleet’s environmental impact. In addition to being a cruise pioneer of LNG technology, about 50% of the fleet is equipped with shore power connection capability. Around 70% of the group’s vessels in service have exhaust gas clearing systems, or scrubbers, that reduce sulphur oxide and particulate matter.
The Group is also planning the use of lithium batteries. In 2020, AIDAprima is scheduled to receive an innovative battery supply retrofit working with Corvus Energy and other partners.
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