PLACE

Our cruises allow people to visit some of the most beautiful and exciting destinations that the world has to offer – and we want to help to keep them that way. We want to deliver positive social and economic outcomes for the local communities we visit. Our investments in the development of new sustainable cruise terminals are creating jobs and bringing new visitors to these places. Collaboration with local authorities, community groups and partners, such as the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), to share information and integrate policies and strategies helps support responsible tourism management. We are also a member of both the CEO-led Sustainability Committee and the Sustainability Task Force of the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), working closely with travel industry partners to develop and implement sustainable solutions for our industry.

Economic Impact: Terminal Development

We have invested in the creation of new terminal facilities in Durban, Miami, and Barcelona. These are allowing – or will allow – us to deploy our most environmentally advanced vessels in these locations. To ensure we are building these terminals with the environment front of mind, all new MSC Cruises’ port terminals are certified to LEED silver or higher. LEED – which stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design – is a widely used global green building rating system. Its rigorous score-based systems ensure high levels of efficiency in both building design and operation.

Miami: In March 2022, we broke ground for our new cruise terminal in Miami which, when it opens in late 2023, will be North America’s largest. Most ships at berth at the new Miami terminal will be able to plug in to the local power grid, in line with Port Miami’s plans to enable shore power connectivity. A comprehensive environmental and social management system is in place for the construction and subsequent operation of the terminal. At a minimum, the terminal is expected to meet the LEED Silver rating, and a third-party audited system will ensure extensive data collection, reporting and incident notification practices.

Barcelona: The terminal will have shore power connectivity and will also be ready for LNG bunkering. It is on track to meet the LEED Gold rating, and we will seek LEED Zero Energy and LEED Zero Water certification within 12 months of operation. LEED Zero Energy requires the incorporation of solar panels and the use of renewable energy from the grid, as well as a low energy consumption design. To achieve LEED Zero water, we will demonstrate that the terminal has a low water demand, reuses rainwater, and directs stormwater directly to the sea.

Economic Impact: Terminal Development

Terminal development, Sustainability | MSC Cruises

Responsible Tourism

Unmanaged tourism is a challenge for many of the world’s most popular travel destinations, and we are committed to playing our part in addressing this. We work with our tour operators and relevant local authorities to find ways to minimise crowding on city infrastructure and traffic. This includes finding new sites to visit, expanding the area of interest beyond city centres. We are determined to be a positive and engaged player in driving responsible and sustainable tourism.

Transport: The first step in offering greener tours is to consider how we transport passengers from ports to places of interest. We are committed to expanding our utilisation of green ground transportation over time. During 2022, where possible we switched from fossil-fuelled vehicles to electric and hybrid shuttle buses in Denmark, Finland, Norway, Spain and Sweden.

Protectours: Excursions with a lower carbon footprint are growing in popularity and, in 2022, we offered more responsible shore excursions called ‘Protectours’ at 57 destinations. These tours, first introduced in 2020, include walking, hiking, bicycling, canoeing and kayaking excursions ashore – all low carbon activities. We aim to have at least one ‘Protectour’ in each destination by the end of 2024.

Supporting tour operators: Our partnership continued with Travelife, a training and certification initiative specifically designed to help tourism companies that want to understand their responsibilities and become more sustainable. Travelife provides our tour operators with information and training that allows them to take action to reduce their environmental impact.

Nature Positive tourism: In 2022 we supported two nature tourism focused initiatives of the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC). ‘Towards Nature Positive Travel & Tourism’ is a comprehensive report to highlight the important role that the travel and tourism industry must play in reducing impacts that result in biodiversity loss and support nature conservation. MSC Cruises was highlighted in this report for several nature positive actions, including the diversion of ships away from sperm whale populations in the East Mediterranean. Further to this, and to strengthen the commitment by the travel and tourism industry at the UN Biodiversity conference (COP 15), MSC Cruises signed the WTTC Nature Positive Vision for Travel & Tourism, to help position the travel and tourism sector as a ‘guardian of nature’ and to demonstrate the important role the sector can play in the implementation of global biodiversity goals.

Responsible Tourism

Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve

We transformed MSC Ocean Cay Marine Reserve from an abandoned industrial facility to a pristine destination, creating a remote, natural desert island experience for our cruise guests. Despite the challenges, the benefits of our environmentally sensitive development became apparent, as the biodiversity increased in both the water, on land and in the air.

Thanks to our efforts there has been an increase in avian wildlife and the return of many bird species, including breeding pairs, as well as an increase in migrating populations. Waterbirds including herons, egrets and oyster catchers are now frequently spotted and there have also been occasional sightings of birds of prey, including osprey and kestrels.

Our efforts to remove significant quantities of scrap metal waste from the waters around the island has resulted in dramatic improvements in the local ecology and marine life has become more diverse. Now sea turtle sightings are common.

Through the MSC Foundation and the Super Coral program we are working with leading coral and marine experts to research, develop, test and refine methods to reverse the decline in coral reefs in the 64-square-mile marine environment around Ocean Cay. Coral reefs support the highest biological diversity of any ecosystem in The Bahamas and are home to ecologically, economically and critically endangered species. Therefore, the aim is to rebuild the reefs through pioneering the development of coral that is more resilient to environmental threats like ocean pollution and warming.