News

MSC Cruises to postpone opening of Ocean Cay until December 5

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines; Published: 13 November 2019 13 November 2019

MSC Cruises today announced that Ocean Cay’s opening date is now set for December 5, 2019. The development of Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve has been a multiyear project in which MSC Cruises worked with multiple contractors and partners to transform what was once an industrial sand excavation site into a stunning tropical destination, including designating the surrounding waters as a flourishing marine reserve.

This has been an extremely complex project as MSC Cruises has been fully committed to developing the destination in the most eco-friendly and sustainable way. At the same time, while the Company anticipated that the island would be ready to receive guests mid-November, as it reached the final stages of readying the island for its opening, some adverse weather conditions and unexpected last-minute operational challenges slowed down the completion of the island.

First, despite Hurricane Dorian and the demobilization of 600 workers, the Company took measures to remain on track and deliver the project on time. However, in the weeks that followed, further adverse weather conditions with strong winds and heavy swell caused several days of interruptions and created additional delays. This included heavy weather in early November which required part of one of the beaches to be further reinforced.

Secondly, last-minute issues with the leveling of the sand in certain areas of the island, the completion of the second breakwater and the landscaping aspects to be fully in line with the Company’s exceeding environmental criteria, have created further last-minute operational issues that could impact the guest experience.

The work on the island is an on-going process and the Company’s commitment to protect, restore and conserve this beautiful cay is part of a multi-phased effort. In the coming months, MSC Cruises will also introduce a Conservation Center and thriving coral nursery on the island, which will serve as an active base for coral education and research.

Providing guests with an outstanding experience in all destinations is a top priority for the Company and Ocean Cay is no exception. When guests start arriving at Ocean Cay they will be greeted by endless sweeping vistas of crystal blue waters and some of the most pristine white sand beaches. From early morning until late evening, they’ll have plenty of time to soak up the spirit of The Bahamas and enjoy the day as they wish, with no disruptions to shore excursions or beach and ocean discovery activities, as well as bars and complimentary dining options available.

The MSC Cruises ships that were scheduled to call the island before December 5, 2019 will be rerouted to alternative Caribbean destinations or will add a day at sea to their schedule. Guests will be compensated for the missed call at Ocean Cay.

MSC Grandiosa named in Hamburg

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines; Published: 11 November 2019 11 November 2019

Sophia Loren, the Italian actress, has named MSC Grandiosa of MSC Cruises in Hamburg.

“Taking place in the city of Hamburg - celebrations took place in the Blue Port, where spectacular light installations by renowned artist Michael Batz bathed the port in shades of blue, reminiscent of the sea symbolising MSC Cruises’ long-standing commitment to the ocean,” Geneva based MSC Cruises said in a statement.

"The series of celebrations, spanning 27 days, eight countries and 11 ports, is an extraordinary welcome for an extraordinary ship. Designed to ensure even cleaner air emissions and improved overall environmental performance both at sea and ashore, MSC Grandiosa is equipped with advanced cutting-edge technologies and sets a new standard for sustainability at sea,” the company said.

MSC Grandiosa has a gross tonnage of 181,000 and it is the largest ship in the fleet of MSC Cruises and the first of three Meraviglia Plus class ships. Built by Chantiers de l’Atlantique in France, it will be joined by sister ships MSC Virtuosa in November next year and a yet unnamed ship in 2023.

MSC Grandiosa has a length of 331 metres, beam of 43 metres and it can accommodate 5,632 passengers and has 1,648 crew.

MSC Cruises to offset carbon emissions from start of 2020

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines; Published: 11 November 2019 11 November 2019

MSC Cruises, the Geneva based cruise shipping company, said it is commitment to become the world’s first fully carbon neutral major global cruise line by making no negative contribution to climate change from the start of next year.

MSC Cruises will offset all direct carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from its fleet marine operations through a blend of carbon offset projects developed according to the highest standards by leading international entities that take immediate action on greenhouse gas emissions. All costs for the offsets as well as any other associated items will be covered directly and in full by the company, said Pierfrancesco Vago, MSC Cruises Executive Chairman.

“As we recognise that today’s even most advanced maritime environmental technology alone is insufficient to immediately reach carbon neutrality, the further commitment we make today ensures that our fleet makes no negative contribution to climate change, starting January 1, 2020. We are a company with over 300 years of maritime heritage and an historical focus on the long-term that is especially typical of family-owned businesses like ours. For us, this is another step forward in our long-standing commitment to protecting the oceans, the destinations we visit and the port communities we touch,” he continued.

“Our focus on innovation, since we built our first cruise ships only in 2003, ensures that we have one of the most modern fleets at sea as well as one of the highest environmentally performing. And, thanks to our long-term planning, this will allow us to already achieve a fleet-wide 29% reduction in carbon intensity (rate) by 2024 vs. 2008, on our way to meet the 40% reduction target set for 2030.

“Additionally, last week we announced that the LNG-powered fuel cells PACBOAT project will be hosted on board MSC Europa – the first of 5 LNG-powered cruise ships that are due to join our fleet. This is not only a world-first for a technology that promises to be most efficient for high-power maritime operations but also yet another concrete example of our firm commitment to partner and support the accelerated development of the next-generation technologies that will lead us and this industry to zero-emissions ship operations.”

Vago added: “We will work with leading providers in carbon offsets able to offset CO2 emissions with the highest level of integrity. Our vision is to also invest in projects that provide quantifiable community benefits, protect the environment and support the UN Sustainable Development Goals.”

In particular, MSC Cruises aims to develop a carbon offset portfolio that incorporates projects which protect and restore Ocean and coastal habitats while also absorbing more CO2 than currently occurs. As Blue Carbon projects focused mainly on coastal habitats are currently scarce, MSC Cruises will itself support the development of what aims to become the first carbon credits to be generated from the earth’s vast ocean, constituting an important new means for protecting and enhancing marine biodiversity and to support communities that rely on the highly pressurized resources of the sea.

Vago concluded: “Blue carbon offsets will be a specific area of focus of our commitment to ensure carbon neutrality with immediate effect. We will put our people and our resources to work to also support the development of the specific type of projects, and the enabling certification processes, that can generate this innovative form of offsets which directly benefit the oceans and communities that live by the sea. As more of these become available, we will steadily increase our reliance on them as an additional area of focus within our overall long-term commitment to achieving zero-emissions operations.”

MSC Cruises’ commitment to delivering zero-emissions operations also includes a specific focus on energy efficiency and other aspects of its end-to-end operations beyond emissions. In particular, since 2017 all MSC Cruises new ships come equipped with ship-to-shore power facilities, a feature that would allow cruise ships to immediately go zero-emissions in any port that is ready for this technology. And, this will provide even greater overall benefit when the ultimate source of shore power is renewable.

MSC Grandiosa and MSC Europa together represent significant additional progress in terms of delivering against MSC Cruises’ objective to minimize and continuously lowering its fleet environmental footprint.