On June 14th, 2023, MSC Cruises revealed its upcoming plans for shore power, showcasing its commitment to decarbonization and reducing emissions from its fleet while in port. Between 2024 and 2026, at least 15 new ports will be added to MSC's shore power network, allowing its vessels to connect to shoreside electricity grids.
The new shore power plan for 2024-2026 includes 5 Italian ports, Barcelona and Valencia in Spain, Stavanger and Nordfjordeid Norway, Miami USA, Copenhagen Denmark, Marseille France, Rotterdam Holland, Valletta Malta, and Stockholm Sweden.
MSC Group aims for all its passenger ships (from the fleets of MSC Cruises and Explora Journeys) to utilize shore power facilities at all other ports worldwide as they become available.
Shore power eliminates the need to keep the ship's engines running while in port thus significantly reducing noise levels and air pollution during the berthing period.
MSC has successfully implemented shore power at the ports of Southampton UK and Kristiansand Norway since February 2023. The company plans to test the facilities at Haugesund Norway later this summer. European trials are also scheduled for several MSC ships at Bergen and Alesund (Norway) and Warnemunde Germany this year.
MSC will further utilize shore-side power in German ports, including Hamburg (winter 2023) and Kiel (summer 2024).
In 2022, MSC signed an MoU with Cruise Baltic to introduce shore power in Europe's Baltic region (which encompasses 32 seaports) committed to increasing the number of shore power facilities.
Since 2017, MSC's new ships are all equipped with shore power capabilities, while retrofits have been completed on other vessels, resulting in 67% of MSC's fleet being equipped with this technology. Additional vessels are scheduled for retrofitting as ports on their itineraries make shore power available.
Explora Journeys' fleet also features shore power capabilities. The brand's first vessel EXPLORA I starts operations on July 17th, 2023.
MSC's newest flagship MSC Euribia boasts the most energy-efficient cruise ship design to date. It recently made an industry-first journey from France to Denmark, showcasing the potential for achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions during cruising through the use of renewable bio-LNG.