2023-06-02 15:19:24
Par Coralie Durand
Published on
See my news
Saturday June 3, 2023, the liner MSC Euribia is due to leave the port of Saint-Nazaire (Loire-Atlantique) for a first: a four-day green LNG cruise. A demonstration which proves above all the speed of the technology on which the Atlantic shipyards.
1. Is the MSC Euribia really innovative?
Yes and no. I’Eurybia is the 5e of the Meraviglia series, started in 2016. It therefore arrives after the Wonderthe The most beautifulthe Great and the Virtuous and displays much the same design on the passenger side. It’s a whole different story below decks, as the latest addition is the only one to be powered by LNG (liquefied natural gas) – the second in the MSC fleet after theEuropa. “Behind this hull, we have redone everything”, launched the Director of the Shipyards, Laurent Castaing, during the delivery ceremony. It was indeed necessary to find space for the LNG tanks, by “rethinking the technical area” and “reviewing the distribution of volumes”.
An order “done in a quarter of an hour”
Laurent Castaing rarely talks about the signing of liner orders, but this one deserved to be the exception. “It was the fastest order I’ve ever had for a cruise ship,” he said during the ceremony. Pierfrancesco Vago [patron de MSC Cruises, nldr] asked me if we were able to do a fifth, I said yes. If we could make one the most environmentally advanced, I said yes. The market was concluded and the signature was made very shortly after. That’s when two men trust each other. An anecdote which was not accompanied by a new order announcement by the Italian shipowner: the two world class which could follow the Europa and the America are still optional.
2. Will the liner’s cruises be net zero emissions?
Yes… but only the first. The one that will last four days from Saint-Nazaire to Copenhagen, where the liner will be officially inaugurated. For what ? Because for the first time, a cruise ship will use 400 kg of green LNG.
This shows that our engines are capable of running on bio LNG
The problem is supply: too few quantities are produced today for cruises. “This will be the next big step,” says Laurent Castaing.
3. So organic LNG would be the key to greener cruising?
Almost. The gas will serve rather as a transition, everything will depend on the ability of engine manufacturers to contain methane leaks. On this Patrick Pourbaix has no illusions. “We are not at the end of our troubles, we know that. The road is still long”. And it’s littered with trials of new technologies. This will not necessarily be the case for the next MSC, the World Class Americawhich should be “just a bit more efficient”.
“We have great ambitions, however, if he has a successor,” notes Laurent Castaing. What about other fuels? Methanol remains the preference of the director of Chantiers de l’Atlantique, unlike hydrogen, which is too bulky to contain. “We should not conclude that we are against hydrogen, since we need it in new fuels”.
4. Does everything come down to propulsion?
Not far from here. But the subject having been in the environmental news in recent years, shipowners and shipyards cannot escape it. However, Henri Doyer, program director at Chantiers de l’Atlantique, assures us:
Cruising is an industry of the future, the most promising as far as responsible travel is concerned. Even if not everyone understood it.
Moreover, a sign of changing times, MSC has authorized the press to go into the engine room to see the operation of the propulsion, but also the policy on board in terms of waste and water recycling. “We are capable of producing 2.7 million liters of water per day and we only discharge it once it has been treated”, explains Marco de Simone, engineer on board.
5. When does MSC Euribia leave Saint-Nazaire?
The departure is announced, subject to favorable conditions this Saturday, June 3 in the middle of the afternoon. Chantiers de l’Atlantique will now focus on assembling the World class Americacelebrated with the traditional coin ceremony on Wednesday.
In the holds and on the docks, on the side of the other customers, the workers are also busy on the Celebrity Ascent and theUtopia of the seas for the American RCCL. Without forgetting Weatherthe Ritz-Carlton yacht laid down last March.
Follow all the news from your favorite cities and media by subscribing to Mon Actu.
1685723037
#MSC #Euribia #leaves #SaintNazaire #Saturday #questions #latest #Chantiers #lAtlantique #liner