The new 2024-26 shore power plan includes ports such as Barcelona, Valencia, Stavanger, Norfjordied, Miami, Copenhagen, Marseille, Rotterdam, Valletta, Malta and Stockholm.
The company intends for its MSC Cruises and Explora Journeys ships to utilise shore power facilities at all other ports where it operates throughout Europe and the rest of the world when they are made available.
Using shore power removes the need to keep a ship’s engine running and reduces in-port emissions from the vessel.
MSC Cruises’ ships have, since February 2023, used shore power at the ports of Southampton and Kristiansand, and later this summer the company will test the facilities at the Norwegian port of Haugesund.
Other European trials this year are planned for a range of MSC Cruises’ ships at Bergen, Alesund and Warnemunde. MSC will also use shore power in the German ports of Hamburg this winter and at Kiel in summer 2024.
All Explora Journeys ships will also feature shore power capabilities. Explora I, the first ship in the new brand’s fleet, will first come into service on 17 July of this year.
Linden Coppell, vice-president sustainability and ESG for MSC Cruises, said: "Shore power is an important factor on our journey towards net zero greenhouse gas operations.
"All of our new-builds since 2017 are equipped with the ability to plug into local power grids, and we are rolling out retrofits on the other vessels in our fleet."
