NCLH-Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd (the world's 4th largest cruise shipowner) and Repsol SA (Spanish multinational energy and petrochemical company) formalized an 8-year agreement to supply renewable marine fuels at the Port of Barcelona (Spain), marking one of the cruise industry’s longest and most comprehensive sustainability collaborations.
Beginning in 2026, Repsol will supply a portfolio of renewable fuels, including biofuels and, from 2029, renewable methanol, to NCLH-owned vessels operated by the subsidiaries NCL-Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises, and RSSC-Regent Seven Seas Cruises during their European deployments.
NCLH emphasized that securing consistent access to renewable fuels in a key European port supports its Sail & Sustain® strategy, which targets measurable reductions in greenhouse gas intensity through advanced fuel technologies. Repsol noted that the partnership demonstrates the commercial readiness of renewable fuels to reduce maritime emissions at scale.
The renewable methanol supplied under the agreement will be produced at Repsol’s Ecoplanta facility in Tarragona, a new installation that will convert 400,000 tons of municipal waste into approximately 240,000 tons of renewable fuel and circular products each year once operations commence in 2029. Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings is the first cruise operator to secure an offtake agreement for renewable methanol from this site.
All fuels supplied under the partnership will meet ISCC EU certification standards, aligning with both companies’ objectives to achieve Net Zero by 2050. The alliance forms part of Norwegian’s wider program to achieve a 10% reduction in greenhouse gas intensity by 2026 and 25% by 2030.
For Repsol, the collaboration extends its broader renewable fuels strategy, which includes the production of renewable diesel and sustainable aviation fuel at multiple facilities in Spain and the expansion of its renewable fuel distribution network across more than 1,300 service stations in the Iberian Peninsula.
Together, the two companies are establishing a framework for long-term, low-carbon fuel adoption within the cruise sector, combining operational reliability with tangible progress toward maritime decarbonization.