The Spanish division of CLIA, the acronym in English for the Cruise Lines International Association, presented yesterday in Barcelona, together with the shipping company MSC Cruises, the advances of this industry sector in environmental matters, an aspect that has become one of the central arguments in this sector looked at with a magnifying glass in several European ports, as is the case of the Catalan capital, where some 800 annual calls are made by tourist ships.
Alfredo Serrano, president of CLIA Spain, explained that cruise ships are responsible for 0.7% of nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions and these non-regular passenger ships are responsible for 0.16% of suspended particles. a figure that has been constantly decreasing in recent years, with an average of 10% every three years.
The association's director was also in charge of remembering other data related to sustainability and the port of Barcelona, such as the fact that 80% of the ships that make calls in Barcelona are self-supplied with water through their own desalination systems and that 77% of the current fleet has advanced wastewater treatment systems comparable to those of the best facilities on land.
The presentation of these advances in the industry took place aboard the MSC World Europa, a ship of the Swiss shipping company of Italian origin that makes a stopover every Friday at the attached dock of the port of Barcelona. At 333 meters in length, it is one of the prides of the cruise division of the MSC group, which has as its parent company the most important company in the world in maritime container transportation.
The ship, like almost half of the company's fleet, is now ready to connect to the electrical grid of the ports where it stops and in this way it will be able to stop its engines. Theirs are powered by LNG or Liquefied Natural Gas, a less polluting fossil fuel than fuel oil, although it is recognized that it is a transition towards new energy sources to power the engines that serve both to propel the ship and to keep everything running at speed. board.
Among these new technologies to power engines are large solid oxide fuel cells. On board it is already experienced with complete satisfaction, as Linden Coppell, the shipping company's sustainability director, commented yesterday.
“Since I joined the company in 2019, my role has been to ensure that this shipping company grows sustainably. We cannot do this alone, as we are strictly ship operators,” Coppell clarifies. “With my team, we have to work with a number of external partners to carry out different projects and initiatives.
I am also part of the Company's sustainability advisory board, led by our Executive President, Pierfrancesco Vago, who is an enthusiast of this world and who is also part of the owner family, because, although many do not know it due to the size has this group, it is a family business. Huge, although familiar,” indicates the directive.
In addition to the new features in propulsion and fuel, the boat is equipped with active emissions control, the hulls are painted with antifouling material that significantly reduces sailing resistance, consuming less energy and has different very advanced systems for waste management and in wastewater treatment. According to the ship's environmental officer, a role that has been implemented on virtually all cruise ships, the water and waste management standards on board are even better than those of most municipal waste on land in anywhere the world.
For his part, Alfredo Serrano, president of the CLIA association, recalled that shipping companies are expanding the spectrum of energy sources used thanks to the incorporation of engines that can run on various fuels. Wind technology is even being tested thanks to different tests with candles, photovoltaic solutions and batteries to save energy. “Currently, up to 32 different collaboration projects are being carried out with fuel production companies and engine manufacturers. This is moving at a remarkable speed and I believe it will never stop. The sector will always be evolving,” Serrano acknowledges.
According to the information that the CLIA association manages from its members, 120 ships in the group's fleet, which represents 46% of the total, are equipped with systems that allow electrical connection to ground. To these we must add 86% of the ships that will be launched in the next five years, until 2028. On the opposite side, in the docks, there are already 32 ports that have electrified docks to connect the prepared ships. These ports represent only 2% worldwide.
In five years, that is, in 2028, it is expected that more than 210 tourist boats will be able to connect to the electrical grid. This figure represents more than 70% of those who are then sailing and two years later and as part of the Fit For 55 legislative package, the main European ports must offer shore power connection by 2030, which will further accelerate investments in infrastructure. ports in the region. By then, the port authorities of Valencia and Barcelona will have their homework done, since the docks of both cities will be electrified between the end of 2026 and the beginning of 2027.
