Costa Crociere and Enel join forces to boost sustainable maritime mobility for its cruises

Thursday, January 12, 2023

Italian cruise line dubbed Costa Cruises has reportedly signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with compatriot energy firm named Enel to boost sustainable maritime mobility with electrification solutions for cruise vessels.

As elaborated, the deal is expected to focus on the chances of promoting assignments to lower emissions when cruise vessels reach and depart from ports and during their quayside stops, with advanced solutions that offer an opportunity to facilitate the cruise sector’s unique energy transition, primarily via electrification.

Enel’s Director for Italy, Nicola Lanzetta, said they are proud of the deal between two Italian firms committed to lowering emissions in respective sectors at both a European and global level with a focus on sustainability and innovation.

The protocol now aims at carrying out a ship refitting ‘pilot case’ – i.e., technological enhancements on a vessel already operating.

The project targets zeroing local emissions when reaching, stopping, and departing a port via the installation on the vessel of a battery power supply coupled with a shore-side power supply and a recharging system.

The goal of the refitting is to help transform a Costa cruise vessel into a zero-emission model from its entry into the port until exit, including hours it stays stationary on the quayside, which means for about half of its working day, per the firm.

Another central area of joint commitment concerns promoting advocacy activities that help simplify and incentivize energy efficiency, electrification, as well as renewable energy production at the ports, especially in port areas lying in the city environments, in line with the provisions of the European New Green Deal and also the Integrated National Energy and Climate Plan also popular as PNIEC.

One of the activities undertaken concerns “cold ironing”, i.e., supplying power to vessels via the electrification of the shore network during its port stops, for which cruise vessels are preparing – with almost one-third of Costa’s fleet now ready – in advance of the “cold ironing” assignments in the central Mediterranean and Italian ports that have not been implemented until now.

The association can be extended abroad to nations where the groups operate, especially Spain.

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