MSC Cruises announced its Sustainability Action Plan, marking its progress in its sustainability practices.
MSC Cruises’ Sustainability Action Plan, developed with the active engagement of employees and external partners, establishes six key workstreams across the business:
- Transitioning to net-zero emissions
- Scrutinising resource use and waste
- Supporting our people
- Investing in sustainable tourism
- Building greener terminals
- Procuring sustainably.
Actions within the plan are accompanied by goals, with measurable targets. Where possible, these align with relevant industry-approved metrics. These six key workstreams fall into the Company’s four focus areas of sustainability: Planet, People, Place, and Procurement.
Pierfrancesco Vago, Executive Chairman of the MSC Group’s Cruise Division, said:
We are firmly committed to achieving our long-term goal of zero-impact cruise operations by 2050 and we are well advanced on this journey
Planet
#1 Transitioning to net-zero emissions
Energy efficient operations across MSC’s fleet support its net zero journey. In 2021, MSC conducted advanced trials of energy efficiency measures on MSC Grandiosa, cutting emissions by 8% compared to design performance.
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The company aims to limit SOx, NOx and particulates, particularly in ports. By the end of 2021, 14 of MSC’s vessels were fitted with hybrid exhaust gas cleaning systems, reducing SOx by 98%.
By the end of 2021, seven of its 19 ships, had been fitted with shore power capability. This enables onboard engines to be switched off, cutting emissions.
Moreover, speed has a major impact on emissions. In 2021, MSC Cruises carried out a thorough review of our itineraries, resulting in an average speed reduction of over two knots, compared to 2019.
#2 Scrutinising resource use and waste
MSC Cruises aims to reduce onboard water demand by 3% per year for each ship, through a combination of monitoring usage, fitting water saving technologies, and training and educating crew.
All MSC Cruises’ vessels are fitted with approved and certified ballast water treatment systems. In 2021, 100% of ballast water was filtered and UV treated before being discharged at sea, to ensure that it does not contain harmful aquatic organisms and pathogens, which can damage the local environment.
People
#1 Supporting our people
In 2021, MSC Cruises invested in the wellbeing of the employees, both onboard and ashore, keeping them safe and supporting them physically and mentally. Despite the ongoing pandemic, it maintained our extensive training programmes, ensuring the teams were compliant with mandatory systems and prepared for the introduction of new technologies and future changes.
Place
#1 Investing in sustainable tourism
The shore excursions team has worked with tour operators to identify excursions founded on strong sustainability principles. Known as ‘Protectours’, these excursions are specifically designed to educate the guests. Around 70% of these tours include low impact transportation, including walking, cycling or kayaking, and many make a direct contribution to the environment through supporting species or habitat protection.
#2 Building greener terminals
In 2021, MSC Cruises continued to invest in new sustainable terminal facilities, and work has progressed on several of these. The Durban Cruise Terminal in South Africa became operational in December 2021. It was the first South African port to resume MSC Cruises itineraries since the start of the pandemic.
Construction of the new MSC Cruises terminal in Miami began in the summer of 2021 with a comprehensive environmental and social management system in place for the construction and subsequent operation of the terminal. A third new MSC Cruises terminal is under construction in Barcelona and is due to be operational in 2023.
Procurement
#1 Procuring sustainably
In 2021, MSC Cruises created a new internal committee dedicated to ensuring its approach to procurement has a positive impact on society and minimises damage to the environment. It is comprised of heads of procurement, logistics and sustainability, and meets every two months to review operational standards across our supply chain and to identify specific opportunities for positive change.