UPDATED- Tourist submarine goes missing in North Atlantic - BBC

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Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen

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Published: 19 June 2023 19 June 2023

It has now been reported that Titan has been lost, with all hands, following an implosion that scattered debris some 500 metres in front of the wreck of Titanic.

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The small submersible called Titan  that went missing in the North Atlantic on Monday belongs to a US based company called Oceangate and it was scheduled to visit the wreck site of Titanic, media reports say. Contact with the craft was lost on Monday, when it had been one hour and 45 minutes to the dive. It has air for up to 96 hours.

The vessel has five people onboard, including two Pakistani and one British passenger, plus two crew members. Titan had been lowered into the water from a ship called Polar Prince that had sailed from Halifax in Newfoundland, Canada.

A search and rescue effort is in progress, involving US and Canadian authorities.

The wreck of Titanic lies in the depth of about 3,800 metres, where the water pressure is equal to about 385 kilograms per square centimetre, reports say.

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A submarine used to take tourists to view the wreck of the Titanic has gone missing in the Atlantic Ocean, sparking a search and rescue mission, the BBC reports on its website.

“The Boston Coastguard told the BBC a search operation for the submersible was under way on Monday. It is not clear how many people, if any, were on board at the time it went missing, the report said.

Small submersibles occasionally take paying tourists to visit the wreck of the Titanic, it concluded.

Costa to launch cruises in India

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

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Published: 19 June 2023 19 June 2023

Costa Cruises will offer a new cruise program exclusively dedicated to India. The announcement was made today in Mumbai, in the presence of Sarbananda Sonowal, Union Minister of Ports, Shipping & Waterways, Government of India; Roberto Alberti, Senior Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer, Costa Cruises; Francesco Raffa, Director Asia Region & Growth Markets, Costa Cruises; Alessandro De Masi, Consul General of Italy in Mumbai, and other senior officials.

The ship chosen by the Italian company for India is the Costa Serena, which, after itineraries from Thailand, South Korea and Taiwan, will further extend its deployment in Asia. There are a total of 23 new sailings in India from 4 November 2023 to 1 January 2024, designed in collaboration with Costa’s General Sales Agent in India, Lotus Aero Enterprises. They will exclusively visit domestic destinations, giving Indian guests the opportunity to discover some of their country's most beautiful locations from a unique point of view. The itineraries, lasting between two, three and five days, will call at Mumbai, Cochin, Goa and, for the first time ever, the Lakshadweep, a beautiful tropical archipelago with white beaches and a magnificent coral reef.

Speaking at the occasion, Roberto Alberti, Senior Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer of Costa Cruises, said, "We have a strong and lasting bond with this wonderful Country: we have already sailed our ships in India in the past, and many of our onboard colleagues are from India. We select and recruit them through dedicated training schools based right in the Country. We are strongly committed in offering our Indian guests a unique holiday experience onboard Costa Serena and we are truly looking forward to starting our operations in November. Costa Serena will be the largest cruise ship to operate domestic itineraries in India”.

Sarbananda Sonowal, Union Minister of Ports, Shipping & Waterways, Government of India said, “India’s waterways are a treasure trove waiting to be explored by tourists; our country is filled with scenic locales and beautiful destinations. I am happy to know about the new cruise programme exclusively dedicated to India by Costa Cruises. This programme also aligns with Shri Narendra Modi ji’s vision of ‘Dekho Apna Desh’ – an initiative that was launched as an appeal by the honourable Prime Minister to Indians to prefer domestic tourism”.

Costa Serena is an Italian-flagged ship built by Fincantieri, which entered service in 2007. With 114,000 gross tons and a capacity up to 3,780 guests. On board, guests will enjoy a wide range of international-style experiences, enriched with the Italian warm hospitality that has characterized Costa for 75 years of history. A local touch will also be featured: in particular, gastronomy and entertainment will be customized to the tastes of Indian guests.

The ship has a total of 1500 cabins, 505 of which have private balconies, and 14 passenger decks. To make the most of their cruise on board, guests can choose from a wellness center and a gym with a sea view, a beauty salon, a theater, restaurants serving Indian and international cuisine, bars, 4 swimming pools, 2 of which have a self-propelled glass roof, a shopping area, and a kids' club for children and teenagers.

Costa Serena sailings in India are ideal for both families and couples, who can take advantage of the Diwali festivities for a holiday together. The cruises are also a great option for wedding ceremonies, groups and corporate incentive travel, thanks to the ship being able to offer reserved areas and services.

Cruise Division of MSC Group and Gasum partner for LNG and renewable e-LNG

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

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Published: 16 June 2023 16 June 2023

The Cruise Division of MSC Group and Gasum have signed a long-term agreement for the supply of liquefied natural gas (LNG) for MSC Cruises’ new flagship, MSC Euribia, as well as a Letter of Intent (LOI) covering cooperation on the supply of synthetic e-LNG made with renewable energy. This supports the Cruise Division’s strategy to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions from its marine operations by 2050.

MSC Cruises, the world’s third-largest cruise operator, and Nordic energy company Gasum executed the LOI with the goal of securing MSC access to liquefied synthetic gas, or e-LNG, which is produced using hydrogen created by hydrolysis with renewable energy and captured CO2. Together, Gasum and MSC Cruises are creating an actionable roadmap for cutting emissions in MSC’s cruise operations using sizeable volumes of several thousand tons of e-LNG starting in 2026.

The companies’ long-term agreement on the delivery of LNG to MSC’s new flagship MSC Euribia will see Gasum supporting MSC Cruises in cutting emissions with the immediate use of LNG.

Using LNG removes nearly all sulfur oxide and particle emissions, greatly reduces nitrogen oxide emissions and significantly lowers greenhouse gas emissions. In addition, LNG technology on board enables MSC Cruises to switch at any time to fully renewable liquefied biogas (bio-LNG) or synthetic gas (e-LNG), in order to reach greenhouse gas emissions reductions of up to 100 percent.

MSC Euribia recently demonstrated that emissions-neutral cruising is already possible by sailing the first ever net zero greenhouse gas emissions voyage thanks to the emissions reductions allowed by liquefied biogas procured by Gasum. The ship sailed for four days from Saint-Nazaire, France to Copenhagen, Denmark and utilized bio-LNG with a mass-balance approach, the most environmentally efficient method of delivering the benefits of renewable biogas. MSC Cruises purchased over 400 tons of bio-LNG from Gasum to show its commitment to the deployment of drop-in renewable fuels and energy transition measures toward the pioneering voyage. MSC Cruises is the industry’s first deep sea ocean cruise operator to buy bio-LNG and achieve significant lifecycle emissions reductions as a result.

Linden Coppell, Vice President of Sustainability and ESG for MSC Cruises, said: “We are delighted to be partnering with Gasum on our journey to net zero greenhouse gas emissions. Securing a reliable supply of LNG and e-LNG is of critical importance to our decarbonization efforts, and the LOI and long-term agreement that we have announced today are significant steps on that journey. Partnering with Gasum will enable us to access new and cleaner fuels needed to make net zero cruising a reality. We need more suppliers like Gasum to step up and support our industry with its environmental targets. We are ready and waiting to buy more of these new fuels.”

Mika Wiljanen, CEO of Gasum, stated: “As an alternative fuel supplier dedicated to the energy transition, Gasum is proud to offer support to MSC Cruises, a major maritime player, in their quest to improve the environmental footprint of their operations. At the same time, MSC Cruises is supporting the development of the most promising alternative fuel by proving a demand for it. This LOI on e-LNG is a landmark agreement for the shipping industry as it demonstrates that e-LNG will be available to the maritime transport sector within a short timeframe. We are also very happy about the long-term LNG supply agreement which we believe is the start of long-lasting cooperation.”

What is e-LNG or synthetic gas

E-LNG gas can be produced synthetically through the Power-to-Gas process. First, hydrogen is produced from water using renewable electricity sourced from wind, solar or other options. The hydrogen can then be further processed into methane by adding non-fossil carbon dioxide obtained from carbon capture.

This resulting synthetic renewable methane gas is fully interchangeable with natural gas and biogas. When it is liquefied it is likewise fully interchangeable with LNG and liquified biogas, meaning it can be transported through existing infrastructure – trucks, ships, pipelines – and use existing gas grids.

Synthetic gas can be fed directly at any ratio into dual fuel engines installed on existing ships, which currently run on natural gas, biogas, LNG or liquefied biogas. There is no need for any additional investments in new equipment or modifications.

Unlike alternative fuels such as ammonia or methanol which are still in the development stage both in terms of production and infrastructure, synthetic gas, or e-LNG, is a concrete pathway to decarbonizing maritime and land transportation in the next few years.

Gasum’s strategic goal is to bring seven terawatt hours (7 TWh) of renewable gas to market each year by 2027. Achieving this goal would mean a cumulative annual carbon dioxide reduction of 1.8 million tons for Gasum’s customers.

Cruise Division of MSC Group expands its shore power plan

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

Category: More News More News

Published: 16 June 2023 16 June 2023

The Cruise Division of MSC Group has unveiled details surrounding the next phase of its shore power plan. Ships will be able to plug into shoreside electricity grids in at least 15 new ports between 2024 and 2026, furthering progress toward decarbonization and reducing emissions from the company’s fleet of ships while berthed.

The new 2024-2026 shore power plan includes Miami, along with Barcelona and Valencia, Spain; Stavanger and Norfjordied, Norway; Copenhagen, Denmark; Marseille, France; Rotterdam, the Netherlands; Valletta, Malta; Stockholm, Sweden; and at least five Italian ports.

The Company intends for all ships belonging to MSC Cruises and Explora Journeys to fully utilize shore power facilities at all other ports they visit once available.

Using shore power removes the need to keep a ship’s engine running and drastically reduces in-port emissions from the vessel.

MSC Cruises’ ships have successfully used shore power at the ports of Southampton, UK and Kristiansand, Norway since February 2023. Later this summer, the company will test the facilities at the Norwegian port of Haugesund. Other European trials are planned this year at Bergen and Alesund in Norway and Warnemunde in Germany.

MSC Cruises will also use shore power in the German ports of Hamburg this winter and Kiel during the summer of 2024.

MSC Cruises signed a memorandum of understanding with Cruise Baltic last year for shore power in the Baltic Sea area. Cruise Baltic has 32 ports and destinations in its region that are committed to increasing the number of shore power facilities available.

Shore power capability has been fitted on all of MSC Cruises’ new ships since 2017. Together with retrofits completed on other vessels, 67% of MSC Cruises’ total capacity is equipped with the technology. More ships will be retrofitted as the ports on their respective itineraries make shore power available.

All of Explora Journeys’ ships will include shore power capabilities. EXPLORA I, the first ship in the new brand’s fleet, will enter service on July 17.

Linden Coppell, VP Sustainability & ESG, MSC Cruises, said: “Shore power is an important factor on our journey toward net zero greenhouse gas (GHG) operations. All of our newbuilds since 2017 are equipped with the ability to plug into local power grids and we are rolling out retrofits on the other vessels in our fleet. Our shore power plan actively demonstrates our ambition and that we are fully committed to reduce emissions from our ships, including while in port. We have invested heavily in hybrid exhaust gas cleaning systems to substantially reduce local air quality emissions and we now need more ports across Europe and beyond to introduce shore power as quickly as possible. By making major reductions to emissions in ports, we are fulfilling our responsibility to the ports and coastal communities that our ships visit and serve. Together with the use of LNG fuel, improving energy efficiency, utilizing innovative wastewater treatment and waste recycling, we are making positive strides in playing our part to address climate change and protect ocean biodiversity.”

MSC Cruises’ latest flagship, MSC Euribia, features the most energy-efficient cruise ship design ever and performed an industry-first earlier this month when she sailed from France to Denmark and demonstrated the potential to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions on a cruise through the use of renewable bio-LNG.