MSC Cruises has become the first major cruise line to be certified by Green Marine Europe, a voluntary environmental certification programme for the maritime industry.
Green Marine Europe is a partnership between the North American environmental certification programme Green Marine and the Surfrider Foundation, a leading European NGO in the field of ocean and marine conservation.
MSC Cruises achieved the highest possible score in eight performance indicators, which the organisers say represent “environmental excellence and leadership”.
The performance indicators measured were Aquatic Invasive Species, Air Emissions of Pollutants – both sulphur dioxide and particulate matter, Air Emissions of Nitrogen Dioxide, Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Oil Spills, Waste Management, Underwater Radiated Noise and Responsible Ship Recycling.
Captain Minas Myrtidis, MSC Cruises’ VP Environmental Operations and Compliance, accepted the award on behalf of the company at a ceremony held today in Bilbao, Spain.
Captain Myrtidis said: “We are extremely proud to have achieved the highest possible rating across all criteria. The Green Marine Europe certificate is testament to the hard work and dedication of everyone in our company, both on board and ashore, who have worked together to help MSC Cruises achieve its sustainability goals. Our certification underlines our strong track record and our commitment to performance improvement, transparency and accountability.
MSC Cruises and its sister company and luxury brand Explora Journeys have committed to measuring their environmental performance annually and submitting the results to Green Marine Europe for external accredited verification. Both companies have set targets to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
The emissions intensity of MSC Cruises’ operations has been reduced by 33.5 per cent since 2008 and the company is confident of achieving a 40 per cent reduction by 2030.
The line’s flagship, MSC Euribia, achieved the world’s first net-zero greenhouse gas emissions cruise ship voyage from France to Denmark on a mass-balance basis in June 2023.