MSC CRUISES BECOMES FIRST MAJOR LINE AWARDED GREEN MARINE EUROPE LABEL CERTIFICATION

Highest rating achieved across eight key performance indicators

Geneva, Switzerland – October 18, 2023 - MSC Cruises has become the first major line to be awarded the Green Marine Europe Certification, a voluntary environmental certification program for the maritime industry. Green Marine Europe is a partnership between the North American environmental certification program Green Marine and the Surfrider Foundation, a leading European Union NGO in ocean and maritime protection.

MSC Cruises achieved the highest possible score across eight performance indicators that the organizers said represented “environmental excellence and leadership.”

The performance indicators measured were aquatic invasive species, pollutant air emissions – both sulfur dioxide and particulate matter – nitrogen dioxide pollutant air emissions, greenhouse gas emissions, oil discharge, waste management, underwater radiated noise, and responsible ship recycling.

Captain Minas Myrtidis, MSC Cruises’ Vice President of Environmental Operations and Compliance, accepted the award on behalf of the line at a ceremony held in Bilbao, Spain.

Captain Myrtidis said: “We are immensely proud to be awarded the highest possible rating across all of the criteria. The Green Marine Europe certificate is testament to the hard work and commitment of everyone throughout our business, both onboard and ashore, who have dedicated their collective efforts to help MSC Cruises towards achieving its sustainability goals. Our certification underscores our strong performance credentials as well as our commitment to performance improvement, transparency, and accountability.”

MSC Cruises and its sister company, luxury brand Explora Journeys, have committed to measuring their environmental performance annually and submit their results to Green Marine Europe for external accredited verification. Both lines have set targets to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

The emissions intensity of MSC Cruises’ ship operations has decreased by 33.5 percent since 2008 and the Company is confident in achieving a 40 percent 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.  

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About MSC Cruises

MSC Cruises is the world’s third largest cruise brand as well as the market leader in Europe, South America, the Gulf region and Southern Africa. It is also the fastest growing global cruise brand with a strong presence in the Caribbean, North America and the Far East markets.

Headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, MSC Cruises is one of the two brands that sit within the Cruise Division of MSC Group, the world’s leading and privately held shipping and logistics conglomerate with over 300 years of maritime heritage. MSC Cruises – the contemporary brand - has a modern fleet of 22 vessels combined with a sizeable future global investment portfolio of new vessels, terminals and other assets. The fleet is projected to grow to 23 cruise ships by 2025, with options for six more vessel orders in place through 2030.

MSC Cruises offers its guests an enriching, immersive and safe cruise experience inspired by the Company’s European heritage, where they can enjoy international dining, world-class entertainment, award-winning family programs, and the very latest user-friendly technology on board. To learn more about MSC Cruises’ itineraries and experience on board its ships, click here.

The line’s number one priority has always been the health and safety of its guests and crew, as well as the communities at the destinations its ships serve. In August 2020, MSC Cruises implemented a new comprehensive and robust health and safety protocol to become the first major line to return to sea. To learn more about MSC Cruises’ health & safety protocol, click here.

MSC Cruises has long been committed to environmental stewardship, with a long-term goal to achieve net zero emissions for its operations by 2050. The Company is also a significant investor in next-generation environmental marine technologies, with the objective to support their accelerated development and availability industry-wide. To learn more about the Company’s environmental commitment, click here.

Finally, to learn more about the MSC Foundation, MSC Group’s own vehicle to lead, focus and advance its conservation, humanitarian and cultural commitments, click here.