Saturday, June 22, 2024
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MSC Cruises released its 2023 Sustainability Report, examining the company’s achievements in environmental, social, and governance realms. This comprehensive report includes updates from Explora Journeys, its sister company and high-end travel brand, which debuted its first ship, EXPLORA I, last year as part of a six-ship series. Additionally, the report provides extensive statistics covering various operational aspects such as emissions, water usage, waste management, staffing numbers, and gender ratios.
The report reveals that throughout 2023, MSC Cruises’ fleet, comprising 22 ships, transported 4,081,393 passengers, navigated 385 different itineraries across 102 countries, and provided 2,150 unique shore excursions.
Pierfrancesco Vago, Executive Chairman, MSC Group’s Cruise Division, said: “We began publishing an annual Sustainability Report in 2019, making this our fifth report. During that time, our commitment to reaching our goals remains as strong as ever. Our approach to environmental, social, and governance issues has become more sophisticated as we have employed more ways to manage our activities in a more dynamic manner. This reflects our passion to not just align with stakeholder expectations and navigate a complex regulatory landscape, but to make meaningful measurable changes that have a long-term positive impact on our guests, our employees and our planet.
“We remain fully committed to our goal of net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 in line with the International Maritime Organization’s strategy but achieving net zero emissions cannot be done alone. We continue to work extensively with our close partners including the shipyards, technology providers, fuel providers and many others and I am pleased with the progress we as an industry are making. We continue to advocate to be regulated in a fair way, which does not discriminate against our industry.”
Key accomplishments for MSC Cruises in 2023 include:
A 6.5 percent enhancement in fleet carbon intensity over the previous year, contributing to a cumulative decrease of 37.8 percent since 2008. This progress is aligned with the goal set by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to cut carbon intensity by 40 percent before 2030.
The introduction of the second LNG-powered ship, MSC Euribia, which achieved a voyage with zero net greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from France to Denmark. MSC Cruises continues to invest in LNG to facilitate the shift towards decarbonizing maritime operations. LNG not only reduces GHG emissions compared to traditional marine fuels but also serves as a gateway to renewable options such as bio-LNG and synthetic renewable LNG.
Achieving 44 successful connections to shore power across eight ports in Norway, Germany, the UK, and Malta highlights MSC Cruises’ commitment to reducing emissions. By using shore power, ships can connect to the local electrical grid and turn off their engines while docked, thereby eliminating direct emissions. The company aims to make 220 connections by the end of 2024 and to utilize shore power wherever it’s available.
The fleet generated 87.2 percent of its water on board, totaling over 162 million cubic feet, primarily through desalination. Efforts to use water more efficiently led to a decrease in onboard water consumption from 59 gallons per guest per day in 2022 to 49 gallons in 2023, marking a 17.2 percent reduction.
A collaboration with NatureMetrics involved analyzing seawater samples from three ships to identify over 4,000 marine species using DNA techniques. The findings contribute to the eBioAtlas, a global initiative by NatureMetrics and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
The company’s workforce reached 49,874 employees from 144 nationalities, including 18,866 new hires in 2023. A series of new crew initiatives were launched this year, enhancing salaries, optimizing staff rotations, and expanding training programs.
