Meeting 2020 Assarmatori, Pierfrancesco Vago (Executive Chairman MSC SA) sul tema dell'energia green

The environment is clearly at the base of our thinking going forward. We know that Brussels has an important agenda, and much of the Recovery Fund money will go in that direction. We have always been studying—the cruise ship is a kind of platform for testing technologies; it can act as a trailblazer for many other types of ships because they require significant investment. A cruise ship today is an investment of around a billion euros. We design a ship today that will be delivered in three years and amortized over 30 years. We must have a vision of what technology will be, not only environmental but also for passenger experience, and we are investing heavily in future technology. All our ships already have shore power capability—the famous cold ironing where the ship plugs into the land electrical grid. But that opens a chapter on costs, grid supply, and energy pricing, because these ships consume significant power that must be sustainable. On the other hand, these investments are already making our ships extremely performant. Many don't know that everything related to recycling—black water, grey water, no discharge of any water, no waste, complete waste management onboard, including food waste that is burned or pressed into pellets—is a full cycle of reuse. We are looking at battery solutions, but we are still far off; when we hear hybrid, it's about maneuvering in port, not a true battery capable of supporting the needed power. Hydrogen is very interesting, and fuel cells, but it's all still being studied and not yet delivering real solutions for these large, expensive ships. That's why it's important that the Recovery Fund gives us the opportunity to study, do R&D, and continue this path. Reaching zero CO2 emissions is a priority for us and for all transport, including cargo. These new very large ships carrying 22,000 containers already remove transport from air and land, improving distribution. As I mentioned earlier, we need to invest Recovery Fund money in the right ports with rail connections and distribution networks. Our goal, in line with the IMO, is to reduce emissions by 50% by 2040—a very important target. Cold ironing certainly helps; in Italy we have important ports like Genoa, where the city amphitheater and the port itself benefit from ships arriving without fumes. Having electricity available is a huge help.