Switzerland-based cruise operator MSC Cruises, a part of MSC, has joined forces with Finland’s Gasum to supply bio-LNG to its second LNG-powered cruise vessel, MSC Euribia, for its first voyage from France to Denmark.
France’s Chantiers de l’Atlantique launched this LNG-powered ship in June last year, and it delivered MSC Cruises’ first LNG-powered vessel, MSC World Europa, in October the same year.
MSC Cruises recently said that it plans to take delivery of MSC Euribia from Chantiers de l’Atlantique on May 31.
The firm said in an update last week that MSC Euribia will depart from France on June 3 and it expects the ship to arrive in Denmark on June 7.
The cruise division of MSC said it will operate what it says is the industry’s first cruise with net zero greenhouse gas emissions.
Also, the voyage will be the ship’s first upon leaving her shipyard in Saint-Nazaire, France as she sails to her naming ceremony in Copenhagen, Denmark.
The new ship, the 22nd in MSC Cruises’ fleet, will sail for four days from Saint-Nazaire to Copenhagen, “achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions to demonstrate that net zero cruising is possible today,” it said.
400 tons of bio-LNG
MSC Cruises purchased 400 tons of bio-LNG toward the pioneering voyage to “show its commitment to the deployment of drop-in renewable fuels and energy transition measures,” the firm said.
“The line is the industry’s first deep sea ocean cruise operator to buy bio-LNG as a fuel source that has significant lifecycle emissions reductions,” it said.
Gasum, a leading producer of biogas and processor of biodegradable waste fractions in the Nordic region, will support MSC Cruises for the voyage, it said.
The speed and itinerary of MSC Euribia’s maiden voyage has been designed specifically to optimize the configuration and loads of the engines to minimize fuel consumption.
In addition, dedicated energy efficiency specialists from both MSC Cruises and the ship’s constructor, Chantiers de L’Atlantique, will be on board to monitor and optimize every aspect of this journey, the company said.
