MSC CRUISES LAUNCHES NEW SUSTAINABILITY CAMPAIGN” “FUTURE OF CRUISING”

MSC Cruises has revealed a new global brand campaign highlighting the importance of sustainable vacationing and the company’s goal for a more sustainable future. The campaign, “Discover the future of cruising” will reach approximately 30 countries through television ads and digital media. 

The new campaign will highlight MSC Cruises’ plan for a more sustainable way to vacation by showcasing the fleet’s eco-friendly technology, along with a few peeks of life on board. 

“Discover the future of cruising” is the first sustainability campaign with a sole focal point on the brand’s commitment to sustainability and making it central to its engagement with partners, travelers, and stakeholders. For example, the television ads will focus on the eco-friendly technologies on board MSC World Europa, MSC Cruises’ first LNG-powered and most environmentally advanced ship to date. The campaign also highlights the company’s commitment to bettering the environment and showcasing that commitment across its fleet of 21 ships. 

The family-owned MSC Group and Cruise Division have a whopping 300 years of maritime history. The company has illustrated its commitment to protecting the planet and preserving the oceans for a cleaner and more sustainable environment. 

Pierfrancesco Vago, Executive Chairman, of the Cruise Division of MSC Group, said: “Already cruising is one of the best holiday options for consumers today, but many of our guests don’t realize that it has important sustainability aspects as well. We have long had a steadfast focus on sustainable and environmentally responsible business practices and on protecting guests, employees, and the communities in which we operate. Today more than ever, brands like MSC Cruises recognize the vital importance of the environment, and a healthy and viable planet and this is why we think it is important for us to take a leadership role and make our sustainability commitments a key element of our discourse with consumers and overall society. Sustainability at MSC Cruises is central to the brand’s DNA and the way we operate as a business.”

MSC Cruises’ Sustainability Action Plan highlights the values of the company and initiates six work streams across the company and pairs them with reachable goals: 

• Transitioning to net-zero emissions
• Scrutinizing resource use and waste
• Supporting people
• Investing in sustainable tourism
• Building greener terminals 

“We have been investing heavily, for many years, in solutions and technologies that continuously and progressively reduce our environmental footprint. From 2017 to 2023, we invested more than eight billion euros in a more modern and efficient fleet with ten new vessels that have each been progressively more environmentally advanced than the last. The new brand campaign for MSC Cruises is a vital tool to explain to consumers and other stakeholders how our commitment to sustainability is articulated on our ships and across our business and showcases how central it is to everything that we do,” Vago said.

Since 2008, the Cruise Division’s efforts have positively contributed to a carbon intensity reduction of 35% , which puts the company in a good spot to meet the industry-wide IMO goal of a 40% intensity reduction by 2030. 

The Cruise Division of MSC Group is committed to reaching its long-term goal of zero-impact cruise operations by 2050 and is making even progress to make that goal attainable. 

A Strategy to Reach Net-Zero Operations by 2050 

MSC World Europa is the cruise line’s first LNG-powered vessel. Compared to the widely used marine fuels, LNG nearly eradicates air pollutant emissions (including sulphur oxides and fine particles), greatly reduces nitrogen oxides and achieves a CO2 reduction of up to 25%. LNG can eventually lead to adopting low and net-zero carbon fuels, like bio and synthetic LNG. The Cruise Division continues to make strides with this eco-friendly technology in the future and scale up its contribution to sustainable cruising. 

MSC Cruises’ second LNG ship, MSC Euribia, will be delivered in June 2023 and the company’s third LNG ship, MSC World America, is currently under construction and scheduled to be delivered in 2025. 

Consistent Progress in All Areas

MSC Cruises is also taking strides to reduce overall energy needs including route optimization, digitalization, and the introduction of a diverse range of energy-saving advancements. 

Linden Coppell, Vice President of Sustainability & ESG, MSC Cruises, said: “We are continually optimizing the use of energy onboard through specific and highly innovative solutions, including intelligent ventilation systems and advanced air conditioning systems, with energy recovery circuits, which allow effective distribution of heat and cold. Our ships gather and transmit thousands of different data sets to dedicated expert teams on shore. This data is used to better understand how ships operate, and to continuously optimize the use of energy and improve efficiency across all areas of operations.”

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The company’s new ships use energy-efficient LED lighting, and the heating and air conditioning systems can self-adjust to the weather and the number of passengers on the ship. Ship hills are coated with special plants that are meant to slow the growth of marine organisms and enhance overall energy efficiency. Most ships in the fleet are also equipped with Hybrid Exhaust Gas Cleaning Systems (EGCS), which can lessen sulphur oxide (SOx) emissions by 98%. 

The company also hopes to save water and eventually become water independent in the future. Ships fleet-wide are designed with contemporary water production facilities and almost all water utilized onboard is self-produced with reverse osmosis systems that turn seawater into freshwater. Each ship can produce roughly 800,000 gallons of tap water each day. 

Sustainable Tourism Efforts 

MSC’s Cruise Division has partnered with Travelife, a leading, training, and certification initiative for tourism-based companies that are committed to a sustainable way of travel. MSC Cruises shore excursion team works with tour operators on a global scale to identify sustainable and exciting activities to offer guests. These excursions are designed to educate guests on sustainability. 70% of these eco-friendly excursions now include low-impact transportation, including kayaking, cycling, or walking. For example, more electric and hybrid shuttle buses are being utilized to shuttle guests from ports to onshore activities to promote the use of green ground transportation.