Maritime Energy Transition : MSC Cruises validates its performance

Environmental transparency is definitively a reality with the major certification obtained by MSC Cruises, making it the very first company in the industry to receive independent verification and official recognition from the flag state of its actual methane emissions.

Achieved in close collaboration with the international certification body Bureau Veritas Marine & Offshore, this technological and regulatory advancement is based on performance measured under real-world conditions on board the new-generation ships MSC World Europa and MSC Euribia.

The importance of this certification lies in the context of the new European FuelEU Maritime regulation, designed to impose a progressive reduction in the greenhouse gas intensity of marine fuels starting in 2025.

Until now, shipowners were forced to use default, theoretically lower values, but this validation now allows MSC Cruises to replace these estimates with indisputable scientific data.

The results of the emissions tests were particularly impressive: the MSC World Europa recorded a methane slip of only 1.67%, while the MSC Euribia dropped to 1.48%.

Both figures are well below the strict default value of 3.1% prescribed in Annex II of the FuelEU Maritime Regulation, demonstrating the effectiveness of the advanced injection technologies deployed by the shipowner.

Beyond the immediate regulatory benefit for the company, this data provides the entire international maritime community with tangible evidence of the real-world performance of dual-fuel engines powered by Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG).

By eliminating accounting approximations, this initiative fosters much more informed decision-making for future investments across the global fleet, solidifying LNG as an essential and high-performing transition fuel towards the ultimate goal of carbon neutrality set by the International Maritime Organization for 2050.