MSC Cruises has confirmed the order of two liquefied natural gas
(LNG)-powered vessels with French ship builder Chantiers de
l’Atlantique.
The new vessels – currently referred to as World Class 3 and 4 – will
be delivered in 2026 and 2027 and complement MSC World Europa, launched
in late 2022, and MSC World, due to launch in 2025, which are already
the most energy efficient ships in the industry.
MSC says the new ships on order will be an evolution of the World
Class prototype with solutions to maximise the energy efficiency,
including extensive use of heat recovery.
In addition, the new ships will accept a variety of alternative
fuels, including bio and synthetic methane and green methanol, and be
fitted with the next generation dual fuel internal combustion engines
with reduced methane slip.
Pierfrancesco Vago, executive chairman, MSC Cruises, said, “We are
committed to researching and investing in future environmental
technologies as they become available to ensure we continue progressing
on our decarbonisation journey to reach net zero greenhouse gas
emissions by 2050.”
The new World Class vessels will feature shore power plug-in
connectivity to reduce carbon emissions in port, the most advanced
wastewater treatment systems, new advances in waste management, and a
comprehensive range of onboard energy efficient equipment to optimise
engine use and hotel energy needs to further reduce emissions.