MSC Cruises today published its 2023 Sustainability Report with a performance review of the 12 months in the areas of environment, social, and governance.
Net Zero Emissions
MSC Cruises today published its 2023 Sustainability Report with a performance review of the 12 months in the areas of environment, social, and governance. The report also includes information on the line’s sister company and luxury travel brand, Explora Journeys, which launched EXPLORA I last year, the first of six vessels in its fleet. Also included are detailed data tables including operations, emissions, water, waste, headcount, and gender distribution.
Pierfrancesco Vago, Executive Chairman, of MSC Group’s Cruise Division, said, “We began publishing an annual Sustainability Report in 2019, making this our fifth report. During that time, our commitment to reaching our goals remains as strong as ever. Our approach to environmental, social, and governance issues has become more sophisticated as we have employed more ways to manage our activities more dynamically. This reflects our passion to not just align with stakeholder expectations and navigate a complex regulatory landscape, but to make meaningful measurable changes that have a long-term positive impact on our guests, our employees, and our planet…”
Highlights of MSC Cruises’ 2023
– Fleet carbon intensity improved by 6.5 percent compared to 2022, marking a 37.8 percent reduction since 2008. The progress puts the line on track to achieve the IMO’s target of a 40 percent carbon intensity reduction before its 2030 deadline.
– Second liquified natural gas (LNG)-powered vessel launched, MSC Euribia, with a net zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions voyage from France to Denmark. MSC Cruises remains committed to LNG as a critical pathway towards maritime decarbonization. Fossil LNG offers immediate GHG emission reductions compared to conventional marine fuels and a direct pathway to renewable alternatives like bio-LNG and synthetic renewable LNG.
– Successful shore power connections numbered 44 for the line’s ships at eight ports in Norway, Germany, the UK, and Malta. Shore power plays an important role in MSC Cruise’s strategy to lower emissions as this allows its ships to plug into a port’s electrical grid at berth and shut down the vessel’s engines to eliminate direct emissions when in port. The 2024 year-end target is 220 connections and the line is fully committed to utilizing shore power in every port where it is available.
– Freshwater management produced 87.2 percent of the fleet’s onboard water needs – more than 6.4 million cubic meters – through desalination. Using water more efficiently resulted in a reduction of onboard water consumption from 226 liters per guest day in 2022 to 187 liters in 2023, a reduction of 17.2 percent.
– Collaborated with nature intelligence and environmental DNA specialists NatureMetrics to analyze seawater samples from three vessels, identifying more than 4,000 different animal species using DNA identification techniques, with results being made available to the scientific community. The project has a global reach with the data contributing to the eBioAtlas, a global program by NatureMetrics and IUCN.
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Source: MSC Cruises
