TotalEnergies Marine Fuels and the Cruise Division of MSC Group have successfully completed the first LNG bunkering operation at the Port of Marseille Fos, Southern France, for MSC Cruises’ ‘MSC World Europa’.
MSC World Europa, which was delivered in October 2022 by Chantiers de l’Atlantique at the Saint Nazaire shipyard in France, is 333m long and is believed to be the best performing large cruise ship operating in the world in terms of CO2 equivalent emissions per passenger.
TotalEnergies Marine Fuels’ chartered LNG bunker barge, the Gas Vitality, refuelled the MSC Cruises vessel via a ship-to-ship transfer of 2 500m3 of LNG at the port while operations continued as normal. This operation marks the start of the LNG bunker supply contract between TotalEnergies and the Cruise Division of MSC Group, as the companies drive forward their respective decarbonisation plans. Under the agreement, TotalEnergies Marine Fuels will supply approximately 45,000t/yr of LNG to MSC Cruises’ vessels at Marseille.
Philippe Charleux – SVP Lubricants and Specialties, TotalEnergies said: “We are excited to support the Cruise Division of MSC Group in their decarbonisation journey and to help the Port of Marseille Fos become an LNG bunker hub for the Mediterranean region. This operation also expands our LNG bunkering capabilities to the cruise ship segment, demonstrating our ability to serve a broader range of shipping clients, as the industry strives to reduce emissions. In line with TotalEnergies’ Climate ambition, we will continue to work hand-in-hand with our industry partners to develop and scale up new, lower-carbon and ultimately, zero-carbon fuel solutions for shipping.”
Patrick Pourbaix, MD MSC Cruises France, said: “This first LNG bunkering operation in Marseille is an important milestone for our company as we welcome MSC World Europa for her first summer season in the Mediterranean. Featuring a range of unprecedented innovations in terms of environmental and marine technologies MSC World Europa represents a major step forward on our journey towards meeting our target of net-zero emissions by 2050. LNG is not only the cleanest marine fuel currently available at scale, but also a transitional fuel as we look ahead to source and use synthetic LNG or other alternative non-carbon fuels as soon as they become available at scale.”
The use of marine LNG impacts positively on the city where LNG bunkering will take place, Marseille, while paving the way forward for all ports in the Mediterranean to meet the IMO ECA regulations taking effect in 2025.
TotalEnergies supports the growing role of LNG in shipping’s energy transition and has actively invested in LNG bunkering infrastructure, currently chartering two 18,600m³ LNG bunker vessels: the Gas Agility, at the Port of Rotterdam, Netherlands; and the Gas Vitality, at the Port of Marseille-Fos, France. Since the start of TotalEnergies Marine Fuels’ LNG bunkering operations in November 2020, the Gas Agility and the Gas Vitality have performed over 100 LNG bunkering operations.
