MSC Cruises has struck a deal for the supply of fuel to its new ships powered by Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) in Marseille.
The French port will become a hub for the sourcing of the cleaner marine fuel for the line’s new generation ships sailing in the Mediterranean.
MSC Cruises plans to launch World Europa, its first vessel powered by LNG, next year.
The agreement will see Total provide 45,000 tons of the fuel a year to the European line.
The company’s LNG powered vessels will feature a 50-kilowatt, LNG-powered solid oxide fuel cell technology project that offers a potential to further reduce greenhouse gas emissions compared to a conventional LNG engine.
Executive chairman Pierfrancesco Vago said: “This agreement represents a further step in our ongoing journey towards continuously reducing our environmental footprint, for which LNG is currently a crucial component.
“As we prepare to launch our first of three upcoming LNG-powered cruise ships in 2022, through this key agreement Marseille will become our hub in the Mediterranean for the refuelling of our latest-generation and most environmentally advanced ships.”
The fuel supplier’s marketing and services president Alexis Vovk added: “Total will continue to step up investments in LNG bunkering to ultimately reach its target of serving more than 10% of the global market.
“By doing so, we will continue to accompany the energy transition of the shipping industry and the reduction of carbon emissions of our customers, in line with our climate ambition to get to net zero by 2050, together with society.”