Viking’s latest ocean ship, the Viking Astrea, was launched at Fincantieri’s Ancona shipyard.
With a propulsion system partially powered by liquid hydrogen and fuel cells, the vessel is said to represent a further step in the development of innovative technological solutions for an increasingly sustainable cruise industry.
With a gross tonnage of approximately 54,300 tons, a length of 239 meters and accommodating up to 998 passengers in 499 cabins, it is scheduled to sail its maiden cruise in June 2027.
The Astrea’s godmother is Francesca Baldinelli, who works in the production control department at the Ancona shipyard.
Other than her, the launch ceremony was attended by Gilberto Tobaldi, director of Fincantieri’s Ancona Shipyard and Ghislain Lemarie, Viking’s vice president of ship development and construction.
MSC Group today confirmed firm orders for two hydrogen-powered vessels for its luxury travel brand Explora Journeys with Fincantieri and pledged to continue its push towards a net zero-carbon emissions target by 2050 by investigating additional new and advanced environmental technologies for the luxury ships, according to a press release.
The deal completes a total investment of €3.5 billion in six luxury ships for Explora Journeys. The contracts are subject to access to financing as per industry practice.
The company said that Explora V and Explora VI will have new state-of-the-art energy efficiency measures and will also be capable of using alternative fuels such as bio and synthetic gas and methanol and the Cruise Division will work in the future with Fincantieri to equip the ships with future technologies including carbon capture and more advanced waste management systems.
The two confirmed additions to Explora Journeys’ fleet will be delivered in 2027 and 2028.
Pierfrancesco Vago, Executive Chairman – Cruise Division, MSC Group, said: “With Explora Journeys we have created a luxury brand that has been successful at redefining luxury at sea. We are seeing continued growth in the luxury segment and the investment in these two new ships shows our commitment to continue to grow within this sector as well as to invest in ships of the future. Together with Fincantieri, we will study the newest technology that the world has to offer and continue with our commitment to introduce these technologies to drive efficiencies across the whole spectrum of ship performance. And of course, we will continue to deliver the very best luxury travel experience, immersing our guests in the ocean state of mind with a sustainable soul.”
Pierroberto Folgiero, Chief Executive Officer, Fincantieri, added: “This new contract with MSC is a sign of the growing vitality of the cruise sector, in line with what we had predicted. In strategic terms, our future will depend on our ability to lead the evolution of the sector towards all energy and digital transition technologies with the entrepreneurship required to validate, industrialise and commercialise new solutions. The relevance of the partnership with MSC in this sense is a great strategic stimulus towards the future in line with the technological development goals set out in our new business plan. We are therefore particularly proud that the Explora project will mark the acceleration of this new phase, which with the fifth and sixth ships, will reach the highest level of advancement, making Fincantieri’s vision of the ship of the future ever more concrete.”
The two new ships will pursue the use of liquid hydrogen with fuel cells for their hotel operations while docked in ports to eliminate carbon emissions with the vessels’ engines switched off.
The ships will also feature a new generation of LNG engines that will further tackle the issue of methane slip with the use of containment systems.
“We are redesigning the future of navigation on a strategic and technological level,” Luigi Matarazzo, general manager of the Merchants Ships Division at Fincantieri, told Cruise Industry News.
“The ships we are building will increasingly resemble large, hyper-connected, energy self-sufficient, lighter and greener, propelled floating cities, capable of recycling up to 90 per cent of the waste produced onboard.
“With the technologies already available today, we can thermally recover up to 20 per cent of the energy contained in the fuel,” he continued.
“And the efficiency measures recently introduced in non-propulsion systems onboard have led to further reductions. For example, a ship of about 130,000 tons is able to reduce its fuel consumption up to 1,200 tons per year, which corresponds to about 7 per cent of the ship’s annual fuel consumption.
“We have validated and applied a series of initiatives on the ships we are building. Examples of energy-saving solutions include fan coil installations in cabins and public areas, variable-speed electric motors, recalibration of fresh-water production systems, LED and other high-efficiency lighting and automatic lighting controls, and much more. Each of these solutions can reduce fuel consumption from 48 to 290 tons per year. This is the path we are on.”
Playing a fundamental role in the green transition will be hydrogen and hydrogen carriers, such as ammonia, liquid hydrogen carriers and synthetic hydrocarbons derived from hydrogen, according to Matarazzo. But this will require the creation of a supply chain based on renewable energy sources, which is able to meet the increased demand without negative side effects on global warming, he added.
“On the technological level, the main obstacles are generated by constraints in terms of space and weight. Fuel cells, batteries, fuel tanks, energy recovery and auxiliary systems have a significant impact on the onboard space and weight of a ship.
“However, I want to stress that the challenges do not lie solely with the cost-efficient application of new technologies. In fact, there are important non-technological barriers.
“In terms of resources, there is still no clear and well-defined scenario regarding the future availability of hydrogen and its derivatives, which will also certainly drive pricing (of fuels).
“Production capacity and a network of supply hubs will be key enabling factors to accelerate the decarbonization of the shipping sector.”
Since 2021, Fincantieri has been committed to implementing measures to improve its yards’ impact on the environment. The latest initiative is solar farms being built at five of the yards to generate more green electricity while also reducing the energy bill, said Matarazzo. Installations will feature 22,000 solar panels covering an area of more than 50,000 square meters, able to produce about 10 MW.
Fincantieri is also part of a public-private partnership launched by the European Commission and the Waterborne Technology Platform to decarbonize waterborne transport, as well as several joint ventures with private companies and research organizations exploring new fuels.
Meanwhile, the next 18 months will be busy for Fincantieri.
“In Monfalcone, by the end of this year we will deliver the MSC Seascape, the second EVO class ship and the fourth vessel in MSC Cruises’ Seaside class, and then, in 2023, Explora I, the first of six luxury ships ordered by MSC’s Explora Journeys brand,” Matarazzo said.
“Also next year, Marghera will deliver the second ship in Norwegian Cruise Line’s Prima class, the Norwegian Viva, followed by Cunard Line’s Queen Anne. The Sestri yard will deliver the Vista, the first of two new-generation ships that will start the Allura class for Oceania Cruises; a fourth ship for Virgin Voyages; a ninth and tenth ship for Viking Cruises; and the newest ship for Regent Seven Seas Cruises.”
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