MSC Cruises has finalised an order for two LNG-powered vessels with French shipbuilder Chantiers de l’Atlantique. This confirms the two World Class choices as firm orders, with a fifth ship option. The two newly ordered vessels, known as World Class 3 and 4, will be delivered in 2026 and 2027, respectively.
MSC World Europa and MSC World America are already the most energy-efficient ships in the industry, performing significantly better than the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI) requirement. The new vessels will evolve the world-class prototype with innovative solutions to maximise energy efficiency, including extensive heat recovery and other technological solutions. Furthermore, the new ships will use a range of alternative fuels, such as bio and synthetic methane and green methanol. In addition, the vessel will be fitted with next-generation dual-fuel internal combustion engines with reduced methane slip.
“We are proud to continue our 20-year partnership with the Chantiers de l’Atlantique, with whom we have already built 18 ships with our 19 under construction,” said Pierfrancesco Vago, Executive Chairman of MSC Cruises. The World Class is a truly innovative prototype, and we are working together on building some of the world’s most advanced ships. We are committed to researching and investing in new environmental solutions as they become available to continue our decarbonisation path and achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.”
“At a difficult time for the European shipbuilding industry, MSC Cruises has shown its confidence in our abilities and skills with this order,” said Laurent Castaing, General Manager, Chantiers de l’Atlantique. As a result, we’d like to thank MSC Cruises for its renewed confidence at this crucial time. Furthermore, MSC Cruises, which is always looking for ways to reduce the environmental impact of its ships quickly and significantly, has accepted a significant cost premium to improve the energy efficiency of these new ships, which will emit 50% less CO2 than the IMO’s 2008 benchmark, according to the IMO’s EEDI index.”
He continued, “We would also like to thank our government, whose support for our R&D policy to make our ships greener has enabled us to meet the customer’s expectations for this order.”
The new World Class vessels will have shore power plug-in connectivity to reduce carbon emissions in port, the most advanced wastewater treatment systems designed in line with the IMO, new waste management advances, and a comprehensive range of onboard energy efficient equipment to optimise engine use and hotel energy needs to reduce emissions further.
The two new orders will be subject to access to financing, as per industry practice.
Comments are closed.