Tag Archives: MSC World Europa

MSC World Europa Makes Maiden Call to Valletta

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The MSC World Europa arrived at the port of Valletta on April 19 as part of the ship’s inaugural seven-night West Mediterranean itinerary, according to a statement.

Angelo Capurro, executive director of MSC Cruises, said: “Malta has been an integral part of our operation for nearly 25 years, and we have brought hundreds of thousands of holidaymakers to visit this wonderful island.  We will continue to bring even more guests to Valletta in the future, and we are very proud that MSC World Europa, an ultramodern metropolis at sea, will be a weekly visitor for at least the next 18 months at her port of registry.” 

MSC Cruises also welcomed almost 200 guests onboard the MSC World Europa including government officials, Malta’s Minister for Tourism Clayton Bartolo and local tour operators and agents. 

 The ship, which can accommodate up to 6,762 passengers, will visit Malta’s capital city weekly throughout summer 2023, winter 2023-24 and summer 2024 while sailing seven-night voyages to Italy, Spain and France.

Stephen Xuereb, COO, of Global Ports Holding and CEO, of Valletta Cruise Port, said: “We are proud today to welcome another splendid MSC Cruises’ ship for the first time to our scenic grand harbour, MSC World Europa.  Valletta Cruise Port will host her this year on a further 36 calls as part of her inaugural Mediterranean season until May 2024 and throughout next year she will call Malta on another 52 occasions. 

MSC Cruises is the key cruise line calling Valletta, and it is our pleasure to collaborate continuously with MSC, a relationship which has, over the years, left an enduring mark on an evolving cruise industry.  On behalf of both Valletta Cruise Port and Global Ports Holding, we congratulate MSC Cruises on its achievements and look forward to many more years of fruitful joint cooperation.”

The World Europa is the ​​largest ship in the cruise line’s fleet and the first to be powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG).

Cruise Saudi Welcomes Nearly 9,000 Tourists on Saudi Founding Day

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On Saudi Founding Day 2023, Cruise Saudi, a 100 per cent Public Investment Fund-owned company established to develop the cruising sector, achieved a remarkable record for the first time in welcoming nearly 9,000 tourists visiting key Saudi destinations by three cruise ships calls in two ports, according to a press release.

The day marked the arrival of the MSC Splendida with over 3,000 passengers and the Residences at Sea’s The World with over 80 residents and guests in Jeddah Islamic Port.

At the same time, King Abdulaziz Port in Dammam welcomed the MSC World Europa with over 5,600 passengers.

In Jeddah, with the collaboration of all relevant Authorities and local Partners, the tourists were welcomed at the passengers’ terminal with the Founding Day traditional activities, including cultural gifts, Saudi coffee, dates, and folklore dances.

The tourists, who represent different nationalities – the top 5 being English, Spanish, Italian, French, and Russian, witnessed and engaged in the vibrant Saudi Founding Day festivities in their different excursions in both Jeddah and the Eastern Province through Dammam Port.

In Jeddah, the well-designed excursions included a flight to visit AlUla, Saudi’s first UNESCO World Heritage site, an enjoyable walk at Jeddah’s Waterfront (Corniche), as well as a journey back in time through centuries of culture and traditions by visiting the UNESCO World Heritage site of Jeddah Historical District (Al Balad), filled with vibrant artwork, exotic scents, traditional markets (souks) and the authentic Hijazi architecture that is unique to the region. Muslim passengers and crew were presented with a unique experience, as Cruise Saudi facilitated their visit to Makkah and performed Umrah.

From Dammam, the excursions included Saudi’s third UNESCO World Heritage site accessible via cruising, Al Asha Oasis, exploring the Qara Mountain, Princess School, and AlQaisariyah Souq. Other excursions provided an escape to the sandy beach on the tranquil waters of the Arabian Gulf or a city drive with a visit to Dammam’s distinctive Love Market.

Cruise Saudi’s ongoing cruising season, from November 2022 until May 2023, is set to welcome over 75 scheduled calls.

MSC cruise ship demonstrates fuel-cell technology

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MSC Cruises’ latest ship, 

MSC World Europa, demonstrates the company’s strategy to decarbonise by cutting greenhouse gas emissions.

This ship was delivered from the Chantiers de l’Atlantique’s shipyard in Saint-Nazaire 24 October, with the latest power and propulsion technology on board.

MSC Cruise Management (UK) head of electrical engineering Steven Frey said this ship is powered by LNG and has a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) to run as a pilot project.

He told delegates at Riviera Maritime Media’s annual Maritime Hybrid, Electric & Hydrogen Fuel Cells Conference in Bergen, Norway, 27 October, the importance of testing and investing in technology to cut carbon emissions.

“We are working to get to zero emissions from multiple fronts, including digitalisation, workshops and partnerships, hybrid propulsion solutions, shore charging and new technologies, such as SOFC,” said Mr Frey. “We are starting a demonstration of a 500-kW SOFC on a ship, and we want to scale this technology up to 20 MW.”

Using power from shore during port stays is an important method for MSC to reduce ship emissions.

“All of our newbuilds are ready for shore power and we are retrofitting the existing fleet,” said Mr Frey. “Around 50% of our ships will be ready by 2023 and 65% by the end of next year. We have also signed a memorandum of understanding with Cruise Baltic to use shore power in 32 ports from 2024 when it is available.”

He said smaller cruise vessels need around 4.5 MW of power and MSC’s largest ships to need more than 10 MW from shore power to shut down engines.

Mr Frey said a combination of shore power and technology to reduce energy consumption and fuel usage is needed to cut cruise ship emissions.

“We are looking at ways to decarbonise by reducing energy consumption on the ships, by adding LED lighting and heat recovery, reducing hotel loads and using alternative fuels,” he said.

“We have a dedicated department dealing with energy efficiency and developing solutions for tracking data from our vessels, so we have a clear view of consumption,” Mr Frey added.

On the subject of fuels, MSC has already turned to LNG to cut pollutants and will consider other sources of energy.

“We are considering hydrogen as a fuel of the future and are using LNG now. MSC World Europa uses LNG fuel and has the SOFC pilot project. Other ships could run a fuel cell and LNG,” said Mr Frey.