MSC Cruises yesterday confirmed an order for another two LNG-powered cruise ships with French shipbuilder Chantiers de l’Atlantique.
The two ‘World’ class orders were originally options, which have now been firmed up, bringing the total to four. There is also an option for a fifth ship.
They will be delivered in 2026 and 2027.
The first two, ‘MSC World Europe’ and ‘MSC World America’ are already the most energy efficient ships in the industry performing significantly better than the IMO Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI) requirement, MSC Cruises claimed.
The latest orders will be an evolution of the ‘World’ class prototype with innovative solutions to maximise their energy efficiency, including the extensive use of heat recovery and other technological solutions, which will see the vessels having an even further reduced carbon footprint.
In addition, the new ships will be ready for a variety of alternative fuels, including bio- and synthetic methane and green methanol. They will also be fitted with the next generation dual fuel internal combustion engines with reduced methane slip.
MSC Cruises Executive Chairman, Pierfrancesco Vago, said: “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 19th under construction.
“The ‘World’ class is a truly innovative prototype and together we are building some of the most advanced ships in the world. We are committed to researching and investing in future environmental technologies, as they become available, to ensure we continue progressing on our de-carbonisation journey to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050,” he said.
Laurent Castaing, Chantiers de l’Atlantique General Manager, added:”At a difficult time for the European shipbuilding industry, MSC Cruises has shown its confidence in our abilities and skills with this order.
“We would therefore like to express our gratitude to MSC Cruises for its renewed confidence at this crucial time. In addition, MSC Cruises, always seeking to reduce environmental impact of its ships quickly and significantly, has accepted a significant cost premium to improve energy efficiency of these new ships, which according to the IMO’s EEDI index, will emit 50% less CO2 that the IMO’s 2008 benchmark.
“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,” he concluded.
The latest ‘World’ class vessels will feature shore power plug-in connectivity to reduce carbon emissions in port, the most advanced wastewater treatment systems designed in line with the IMO, new advances in waste management, and a comprehensive range of on board energy efficient equipment to optimise engine use and hotel energy needs to further reduce emissions.
The orders will be subject to financing, as per industry practice, MSC said.
