MSC Cruises has held the traditional coin ceremony for MSC Euribia as MSC World Europa was floated out for the first time at a shipbuilding yard in Saint Nazaire, France.
MSC Euribia is scheduled to launch in June 2023 and MSC World Europa will come into service in December next year.
The ships are to be the first vessels in MSC’s fleet to be powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG).
Pierfrancesco Vago, MSC Cruises’ executive chairman, called the events “another important milestone” as the line targets net zero emissions by 2050.
“Following billions of euros of investment, we are announcing significant construction developments in not just one but two of our next generation LNG-powered vessels bringing us ever closer to our vision of an emissions free cruise industry,” he said.
LNG “virtually eliminates” air pollutants – such as sulphur oxides, nitrogen oxides and particles – and it plays “key role” in climate change mitigation, MSC said.
MSC Cruises and the Chantiers de l’Atlantique ship yard confirmed a fuel cell pilot plant is to be built on MSC World Europa.
The plant, called Blue Horizon, can use LNG to covert fuel into electricity and heat on board. This will reduce greenhouse gas emissions on the ship by around 30%.
The coin ceremony for MSC Euribia took place as the keel was laid. Anne Claire Juventin, responsible for quality control at Chantiers de l’Atlantique, and Valentina Mancini, MSC Cruises’ brand manager, performed the traditional maritime ritual as godmothers representing the ship owner and the shipbuilder.
They placed two coins under the keel as the historical sign of blessing and good fortune for the project and the ship’s operational life at sea.
MSC World Europa – the line’s first LNG-powered vessel – was floated out and will now be moved to a wet dock where work will continue before the ship’s delivery in November 2022.
From December 2022, MSC World Europa will be based in the Gulf region, operating round-trip seven-night cruises from Dubai.
Ports of call include Abu Dhabi; Sir Bani Yas Island, both United Arab Emirates; Dammam, Saudi Arabia, and Doha, Qatar.
MSC World Europa will leave Dubai in March 2023 and reposition to the Mediterranean where it will offer seven-night cruises calling into Italian ports Genoa, Naples and Messina, plus Valletta, Barcelona and Marseille.
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