MSC World Europa completes first Marseille LNG bunkering

MSC World Europa was bunkered with 2,500 cubic meters of LNG in a ship-to-ship transfer from Gas Vitality

MSC Cruises’ MSC World Europa has completed its first LNG bunkering at the Port of Marseille Fos in southern France. TotalEnergies Marine Fuels’ chartered LNG bunker vessel, the Gas Vitality, refueled the 333 meter long cruise ship through the ship-to-ship transfer of 2,500 cubic meters of LNG at the port, April 22, while guest operations continued as normal.

TotalEnergies’ Marine Fuels says that the successful execution of these simultaneous operations (SIMOPs) underscores its ability to safely deliver commercial LNG bunkering operations. The bunkering is the first carried out under an LNG bunker supply contract between TotalEnergies and the Cruise Division of MSC Group covering the supply of approximately 45,000 tons per year of LNG to MSC Cruises’ vessels at Marseille.

As we reported earlier, MSC World Europa, which was delivered in October 2022 by Chantiers de l’Atlantique, is claimed to be the world’s best performing large cruise ship in terms of CO2eq emissions per passenger.

“We are excited to support the Cruise Division of MSC Group in their decarbonization journey and to help the Port of Marseille Fos become an LNG bunker hub for the Mediterranean region,” said Philippe Charleux, senior vice president lubricants and specialties at TotalEnergies. “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.”

“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,” said Patrick Pourbaix, managing director of MSC Cruises in France. “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.”

TotalEnergies says the availability of LNG bunkering in Marseille significantly improves air quality, in particular when at berth, and paves the way forward for all ports in the Mediterranean to meet the new emissions regulations taking effect in 2025 when the Mediterranean ECA designation enters force.