MSC Cruises has placed an order for two LNG-fuelled ships at Chantiers de l’Atlantique which will complete the ‘World Class’ series made up of the ‘MSC World Europa’ (delivered in October 2022) and the ‘MSC World America’ (delivery planned for spring 2025).
Added to this firm order is an option for a fifth ship in the same series. The two new ships ordered – currently called World Class 3 and 4 – will be delivered in 2026 and 2027.
MSC World Europa and MSC World America are claied to be the most energy efficient ships in the cruise industry, performing significantly above the requirements of the IMO EEDI. The new ships are considered to constitute yet another evolution compared to the previous examples, with even more innovative solutions to maximise energy efficiency, including intensive use of heat recovery, which will achieve an even smaller carbon footprint.
Additionally, the new ships will be ready to use a variety of alternative fuels, including bio and synthetic methane and green methanol. The ships will be equipped with new generation internal combustion engines, notably allowing a reduction in methane slip.
Pierfrancesco Vago, Executive President MSC Group Cruise Division, said: “We are proud to continue our 20-year partnership with Chantiers de l’Atlantique, with whom we have already built 18 ships, with our 19th ship currently 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 continue progressing our decarbonisation journey to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.”
Laurent Castaing, MD Chantiers de l’Atlantique said: “At a difficult time for European shipbuilding, with this order, MSC Cruises is showing us its confidence in our capabilities and skills. We therefore firstly express our gratitude to MSC Cruises for its renewed confidence at this crucial moment. Furthermore, MSC Cruises, always looking for a rapid and significant reduction in the environmental impact of its ships, has accepted a significant additional cost in order to improve the energy efficiency of these new ships which, according to the EEDI index of the IMO will emit half as much CO2 as the 2008 IMO reference. We would also like to thank our government which, through its support of our R&D policy of greening our ships, allowed us to meet the customer expectations necessary for this order.”
The new ‘World Class’ ships will feature shore power connection to reduce CO2 emissions in ports, and advanced wastewater treatment systems designed in accordance with IMO requirements. They will also benefit from new advances in waste management and a full range of energy-efficient on-board equipment to optimise engine utilisation and energy requirements to further reduce emissions.
The implementation of the two new orders is subject to financing, in accordance with industry practices.
