- MSC Cruises is looking at a whole range of ship types for carbon reduction and zero-carbon ship design.
- MSC has a fleet of both cargo and cruise ships that gives the company unique scope to test various solutions.
- MSC was comfortable with a 30% blend and are confident that the trial was successful.
- An SOFC could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by around 30% compared with a conventional LNG engine.
MSC Cruises is exploring a range of solutions to reduce its carbon footprint, writes Susan Parker for an article published in Cruise&Ferry.
Zero-carbon ship design
Bud Darr, executive vice president of maritime policy and government affairs at MSC Group says MSC Cruises is looking at all sorts of options and a whole range of ship types for carbon reduction and zero-carbon ship design.
Unique scope to test
MSC has a fleet of both cargo and cruise ships that gives the company unique scope to test various solutions and share its experiences.
For example:
Biofuel from waste cooking oil is currently being used for bunkering its cargo vessels that are calling in Rotterdam, Netherlands.
Darr says, though there were some technical implications, they were comfortable with a 30% blend and are confident that the trial was successful and can take it to the next step.
LNG a powerful tool
Although MSC Group’s next step may not be to use biofuel in its cruise ships, the fuel is certainly part of the overall cruise conversation, which also highlights LNG “as a powerful tool in the arsenal”.
Solutions offered
“It is a mistake to say that we need to look for one solution; it will take a combination of things. The greatest promise is with solutions where we can take the existing designs built with some future proofing and use a -drop-in fuel.”
Provision to for add batteries
Darr adds that they are designing future ships with the potential for adding batteries later.
“We intend to accommodate that as part of the mix in future deliveries as it becomes more viable.”
Solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC)
Another solution being trialled as part of that mix is a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC), which will be installed on MSC Europa to produce electricity and heat using natural gas.
“It’s an interesting possibility,” comments Darr. “Fuel cells have some real challenges with scale for large cruise ships at the moment but they have been applied successfully in quite a few smaller applications.”
About the technology
Darr explains that:
- The technology operates at a very high temperature and offers an electrical efficiency of up to 60%
- An SOFC could also reduce greenhouse gas emissions by around 30% compared with a conventional LNG engine.
Converting fuel into power
MSC Cruises is also focused on making the process of converting fuel into power more efficient so that its ships need less fuel in the first place.
Hydrogen
Hydrogen, for example, solves the carbon issue but has a density problem in that it requires four times more volume to store in liquid form than a conventional fuel. This could be potentially overcome with fuel cells or a new type of engine.
According to Darr, manufacturers are not only improving the efficiency of the engines currently used by MSC, but also making sure that they are as adaptable as possible for future fuels.
Cannot sit back and wait
Darr says that shipowners like MSC Cruises cannot sit back and wait.
“We have to push the envelope. I think there has been a palpable shift with the public wanting more to be done. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) goal of achieving a 50% carbon reduction from a 2008 base by 2050 is an enormous challenge for the whole shipping fleet. We have to start seeing zero-carbon ships very soon. Some put that at 2030, which I think is a reasonable goal.”
MoU with with Chantiers de l’Atlantique
This January, MSC Cruises embarked on the next stage of attaining this goal by signing a memorandum of understanding with Chantiers de l’Atlantique shipyard for the development of a prototype class of four LNG-powered cruise ships.
The companies will also develop another prototype ship class where they will explore opportunities such as wind power and other advanced technologies.
“The future will depend on shipowners taking risks in a very uncertain environment,” says Darr.
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Source: Cruise&Ferry
