Maritime minister Robert Courts has supported the opening of the UK’s “greenest” cruise terminal.
The Horizon terminal at Southampton port is the first of its kind, using a mix of solar panel roofing and clean energy shore power plug-in charging for ships.
The £55 million facility – built in partnership between MSC Cruises and Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings – pioneers the way towards greener cruising, according to the Department for Transport.
The terminal opened in July and Courts made a site visit this week.
He said: ”As the cruising sector bounces back from the pandemic, it’s important that our environmental commitments are at the heart of everything we do.
“Building state-of-the-art green infrastructure at cruise terminals helps us move towards cleaner cruising, creating more spaces for these ships to dock and putting us on track to hit net zero by 2050.”
Transport secretary Grant Shapps outlined government initiatives aimed at cutting emissions in the sector as part of London International Shipping Week, including joining other nations in supporting an “absolute zero” target for international shipping emissions by 2050.
He said: ”As a proud island nation built on our maritime prowess, it is only right that we lead by example when it comes to decarbonising the sector and building back greener.”
Maritime UK chair Sarah Kenny said: “Through increased investment and closer collaboration with government our industry can rise to the challenge of steering the UK’s vessels in a green direction.”