On the occasion for the coming into service of its most environmentally-advanced cruise ship yet ‘MSC Grandiosa’, MSC Cruises announced its commitment to become the world’s first fully carbon neutral major global cruise line.
MSC Cruises will offset all direct CO2 emissions from its fleet marine operations through a blend of carbon offset projects developed according to the highest standards by leading international entities that take action on greenhouse gas emissions. All costs for the offsets as well as any other associated items will be covered directly and in full by the company.
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In particular, MSC Cruises aims to develop a carbon offset portfolio that includes projects which protect and restore ocean and coastal habitats while also absorbing more CO2 than currently occurs. As Blue Carbon projects focused mainly on coastal habitats are currently scarce, MSC Cruises will support the development of what aims to become the first carbon credits to be generated from the earth’s vast ocean, thus establishing new means for protecting and enhancing marine biodiversity and support communities that depend on the highly pressurized resources of the sea.
MSC Cruises’ aspiration to achieve zero-emissions operations also includes a focus on energy efficiency and other aspects of its end-to-end operations beyond emissions. Specifically, since 2017 all MSC Cruises new ships are equipped with ship-to-shore power facilities.
Pierfrancesco Vago, MSC Cruises Executive Chairman, said on the occasion:
Our focus on innovation since we built our first cruise ships only in 2003 ensures that we have one of the most modern fleets at sea as well as one of the highest environmentally performing. And, thanks to our long-term planning, this will allow us to already achieve a fleet-wide 29% reduction in carbon intensity (rate) by 2024 vs. 2008, well on our way to meet the 40% reduction target set for 2030
Mr. Vago concluded by saying that Blue carbon offsets will be a specific area of focus of the company’s commitment to ensure carbon neutrality with immediate effect. As more of these become available, it will steadily increase its reliance on them as an additional area of focus within the overall long-term commitment to achieving zero-emissions operations.
