Technology, efficiency, and fuels

Innovative approaches to achieve net zero

We are working to decarbonize fleet operations and minimize our impact on air quality through advanced technologies, energy efficiency practices, and renewable fuels. Our sustainability initiatives focus on reducing emissions and aligning our operations with broader goals for lowering our carbon footprint, through innovation and responsible resource use.

Ship Design, Engine Technology, and Fuel

To achieve our net zero emissions target, we need fuel from renewable sources.
Fuels from renewable sources can emit significantly fewer greenhouse gases than fossil fuels across their lifecycle. By replacing fossil fuels with renewables, we reduce carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, which is essential to combating climate change and meeting global climate targets. Renewable fuels exist, but they need to be commercially viable on both availability and cost. A concerted joint effort is required from energy providers, governments, shipbuilders, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and other public and private bodies to create the right infrastructure and scale for renewables.

We believe a combination of different technologies and fuels will be needed to achieve net zero. We are therefore actively investing in research and development, in ship design, in energy efficiency, and in key technologies such as fuel cell innovation.
As we transition toward renewable fuels, we need to maintain flexibility. Our new ships incorporate fuel-flexible engine technology that can operate on conventional fuels and LNG, bridging the transitional period as renewable fuels become available.

Fossil LNG offers immediate benefits over conventional maritime fuels, reducing greenhouse gas emissions by up to 20% (CO2e well-to-wake) while substantially reducing local air emissions: 99% less sulfur oxides (SOx), 99% fewer particulate emissions, and up to 85% less nitrogen oxides (NOx). It is a fuel in transition that enables the use of drop-in bio-LNG and synthetic renewable LNG, which can further reduce well-to-wake greenhouse gas emissions by more than 80%.

We acknowledge that methane slip from LNG-fueled ships requires attention. We are actively working to reduce it alongside engine manufacturers and other organizations, including through new engine designs and how those engines are operated.
Recent independent studies have already recorded significant reductions in methane slip from the latest generation of dual-fuel engines on our LNG ships. Learn more

MSC Euribia Net Zero Voyage
In June 2023, our flagship MSC Euribia achieved the world's first net-zero-emission cruise on her maiden journey from St. Nazaire, France, to Copenhagen, Denmark.

MSC Euribia achieved this milestone by using bio-LNG and applying mass balance. During the four-day voyage, she performed 11% better than her digital twin—a virtual ship reproducing the optimum energy flow and use on board—for an overall saving of 43 tonnes of fuel. Optimal speed profiles, routing, trim, and engine configuration, together with strict optimization of hotel energy consumption including HVAC, galleys, and lighting, meant she never had to use more than two of her four available engines during the voyage. All the heat required for galleys, heating systems, and hot water on board was recovered from her engines, so the boilers were not needed for the entire voyage. Achieving net-zero performance was made possible by using bio-LNG as a fuel.

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Energy Efficiency

Energy efficiency is an essential element of our drive to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Initiatives include LED lighting, heat recovery systems, anti-fouling paint that reduces drag, cruising at lower speeds, and optimizing the ship's trim (balance).

Operating the heating, ventilation, and cooling systems is one of the most energy-intensive operations on board. We maximize energy efficiency through self-adjusting heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems, driven by numerous sensors installed throughout the ship.

As a result of our energy-saving efforts, we have been certified to ISO 50001. We are on track to achieve the industry’s 40% carbon intensity reduction goal, well ahead of the 2030 target. ISO 50001 outlines the requirements for establishing, implementing, maintaining, and improving an energy management system. This enables us to follow a systematic approach in achieving continual improvement of energy performance, including energy efficiency, use, and consumption.

Shore power
As an important part of our strategy to lower emissions and reduce potential pollution at the destinations we visit, we have fitted shore power capability as standard on all our ships since 2017, and we have a retrofit program for older ships. This allows our ships to plug into a port's electrical grid at berth and shut down their engines. Using shore power benefits port areas and local communities by significantly reducing air pollution from docked ships, which would otherwise burn fuel for power.

Additionally, it lessens noise pollution, creating a quieter environment. Shore power also supports local energy markets and can reduce greenhouse gas emissions, contributing to efforts against climate change.

As of 2025, more than 70% of our fleet is equipped with shore power capability, and we continue to work closely with ports and local authorities to support the development of onshore infrastructure. We recently signed an agreement with Cruise Baltic to access shore power in the Baltic Sea region, and we look forward to further agreements worldwide. The design of our new cruise terminals in Barcelona and Miami includes shore power infrastructure. The main challenge we currently face is the limited availability of shore power, but we will always use it where it is available.

Digitalization
Digital technologies can help us achieve further significant energy-efficiency savings. In 2024 we rolled out a new cruise itinerary optimization tool, OptiCruise, to build efficiency measures into the itinerary planning process. Itineraries are planned several years ahead, and the model weighs the many factors that influence an itinerary's efficiency: the sequence of port calls, departure and arrival times, a ship's speed, how appealing each destination is to guests, shore excursions, and operating costs such as fuel, port charges, and food provisions.

We also use an energy monitoring system on board all our ships. Oceanly Performance collects and analyzes thousands of data points from shipboard operations, allowing continual adjustments that improve overall efficiency.

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Sustainability Report 2025

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Sustainability Report 2025

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SUSTAINABILITY PILLARS

Our Sustainability Action Plan

Our efforts are organized in key areas of action—People, Planet, Technology, Efficiency and fuels, Responsible tourism, and Supply and value chain.

People

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Planet

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Responsible Tourism

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Supply and Value Chain

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Sustainability programme