On October 17, 2019, Erminio Eschena (MSC Cruises France Director of Institutional Affairs and Relations) joined other cruise industry leaders in Port Marseille signing the voluntary commitment to reduce air emissions in the area ‘Blue Charter’.
The ‘Blue Charter’ terms mean that cruise companies operating in the port of Marseille will commit themselves to implement a number of measures beyond current international and national regulations to reduce the environmental impact in and around the cruise port. This confirms the unequivocal commitment of MSC Cruises to promote sustainable development of operation and encourage the industry’s energy transition.
The signing is a significant step forward in terms of environmental impact.
The Marseille ‘Blue Charter’ brings together 4 specific commitments for cruise ship operators: connecting electrically to the wharf during stopovers when shoreside power infrastructure is developed; reducing the speed to 10 kn maximum at the port entrance/exit; favouring calls from LNG-powered ships when they become available; using 0.1 % sulphur content fuel when manoeuvring at the cruise port (the 0.5% standard will be mandatory from January 1, 2020).