MSC CRUISES OFFICIALLY NAMES ITS NEWEST FLAGSHIP, MSC EURIBIA, TONIGHT IN COPENHAGEN - MARKING SIGNIFICANT STEP TOWARD COMPANY'S NET ZERO 2050 PLEDGE

• MSC Euribia is the most energy-efficient cruise ship design ever - powered by LNG and featuring a range of technologies and solutions that minimize impact on the air and marine environment
• Tonight's traditional maritime ceremony will be attended by distinguished guests, key travel partners and international media
• MSC Euribia to set sail for her inaugural season in Northern Europe, offering guests a wide variety of new and enriching experiences never before seen at sea

COPENHAGEN, Denmark, June 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- MSC Cruises will welcome its much-anticipated new flagship to the fleet tonight during a Naming Ceremony taking place in Copenhagen. The traditional maritime ceremony will honor traditional maritime heritage and pay tribute to the environmentally advanced MSC Euribia, which is designed to be the most energy-efficient cruise ship ever.

MSC Euribia is MSC Cruises' second vessel powered by LNG, the cleanest marine fuel currently commercially available at scale. On board, she boasts a range of best-in-class environmental technology, including advanced onboard wastewater treatment systems and waste management handling. She has also been designed with the future in mind, allowing her to easily incorporate future innovations in sustainability, such as carbon-neutral synthetic and other alternative fuels as soon as they are available at scale.

MSC Euribia is expected to be the most energy-efficient cruise ship design in the world at the time of her launch.¹ During her maiden voyage, MSC Euribia completed a net zero GHG emissions journey from Saint-Nazaire to Copenhagen, benefiting from the emissions reductions allowed by bio-LNG and application of the mass balance approach.

Renowned Danish television host, actress and model Sarah Grünewald will oversee the Naming Ceremony. Joining tonight's festivities are distinguished guests from around the world, key travel partners and international media, as well as top management from MSC Cruises and its parent company, MSC Group.

Godmother of MSC Cruises' fleet and globally recognized screen legend Sophia Loren will also be in attendance to officially name the ship, continuing her long-standing and close relationship with MSC Cruises.

The momentous occasion will include live entertainment and speeches combined with the important maritime tradition of cutting a ribbon to break a bottle of champagne over the ship's bow. Guests will also be treated to a gourmet gala dinner and unforgettable performances, including a spectacular DJ set by Bob Sinclar, internationally acclaimed French DJ and record producer, who will close out the evening.

The special event will give guests a first look at the revolutionary new ship's cutting-edge design and various world-class guest experiences.

MSC Euribia begins sailing in Northern Europe this summer with 7-night sailings from Kiel, Germany and Copenhagen, Denmark to the captivating Norwegian Fjords, including Geiranger, Ålesund, and Flaam.

To find out more about MSC Cruises' Northern Europe itinerary options, please click here.

About MSC Euribia

MSC Euribia is the 22^nd vessel in the MSC Cruises fleet, standing 19 decks high and 141 feet wide, with 2,419 cabins and boasting 37,6736 square feet of public space. MSC Euribia is named after the ancient goddess Eurybia, who harnessed the winds, weather and constellations to master the seas, furthering the vision of the ship to master the deployment of state-of-the-art technologies to protect and preserve the precious marine ecosystem.

The trailblazing ship is the second LNG-powered vessel in the fleet and the most innovative and environmentally advanced ship to date. She is adorned with an exclusive customized mural titled #SaveTheSea, which is painted on her exterior to celebrate MSC Cruises' ongoing dedication to the ocean and commitment to achieve net zero emissions by 2050. As a Meraviglia-Plus class ship, MSC Euribia offers an abundance of dynamic guest experiences with innovative features, facilities and enriching entertainment for the whole family.

Key highlights include:

• NEW! Located in the aft of the ship, The Carousel Lounge is reinvented with a new layout, offering even more stunning panoramic ocean views. It allows guests to relax during the day or participate in a range of leisure activities, as well as enjoy a variety of live music every evening including from the Big Band at Sea - one of the largest live music groups sailing the world's oceans.
• A revolutionary kids' area will feature 7,534 square feet of interior space entirely dedicated to kids and teenagers. It features seven rooms, each catering to different age groups from ages 0 ? 17. For the first time, it will include the NEW! MSC Foundation Lab, offering a brand-new kids area and program of activities dedicated to educating children and teenagers about environmental topics.
• NEW! Guests can choose between 10 dining venues, including five specialty restaurants with the exciting new Le Grill, a stylish French bistro meets steakhouse, and Kaito Sushi & Robatayaki, a mainstay of MSC Cruises that features a Robatayaki for the first time.
• NEW! Experience the artwork, Street. 2023, by renowned British artist Julian Opie in l'Atelier du Voyageur bar. The artwork, commissioned specifically for MSC Euribia, is an expansive 36 x 6 ft purpose-built LED screen featuring walking figures in Opie's distinctive style.
• An impressive five pools and the ship's very own coral-themed Ocean Cay AquaPark, one of the largest and most elaborate waterparks at sea, with three water slides for endless fun.
• The 945-seat Delphi Theatre offers world-class live entertainment every evening with a full seven-day program of big-production shows.
• The ship offers 21 bars and lounges with five outdoor and 16 indoor areas to meet the needs and preferences of everyone on board.
• Guests will have the opportunity to explore and connect at Galleria Euribia, the longest LED Dome at sea, with an array of shops, restaurants and entertainment to discover.

To find out more about MSC Euribia, please click here.

MSC Euribia features and environmental technologies:

MSC Euribia will complete a net-zero GHG trip on her first voyage from St. Nazaire to Copenhagen utilizing bio-LNG under a mass-balance system, which is the most cost effective and environmentally efficient method of delivering the benefits of renewable biogas. MSC Euribia can be powered using Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), which virtually eliminates sulphur oxides and particulates and reduces nitrogen oxides by 85%. It also reduces emissions of greenhouse gases by up to 20% (on a CO2-equivalent basis).             

LNG is a transition fuel. The onboard engine technology and fuel systems can already use bio and synthetic LNG today. In the future, the ship design can accommodate retrofits enabling our LNG-powered vessels to operate using green methanol. MSC Cruises is committed to deploying drop-in renewable fuels and accelerating the energy transition to net-zero.             

Energy Efficiency

MSC Euribia is the most energy-efficient cruise ship design ever. MSC Euribia will achieve an IMO Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI) 55% better than currently required and she is expected to be the best-performing cruise ship in the world at the time of her launch. MSC Euribia will emit up to 19% less greenhouse gas emissions per passenger per day than her sisterships that use conventional marine fuels. MSC Euribia will emit up to 44% fewer greenhouse gas emissions per passenger per day than ships built only 10 years ago.

Advanced water and waste treatment facilities

Wastewater is treated to standard beyond many shoreside municipal wastewater treatment systems worldwide. Our technology meets the strictest international IMO standards ? including the so-called Baltic standard. Advanced waste management systems allow the ship to reduce, reuse, and recycle the waste generated on board.

MSC Cruises is committed to being a net zero GHG emissions brand by 2050

The emissions intensity of our ship operations has decreased by 33.5% since 2008, and we will achieve a 40% reduction ahead of the IMO 2030 target.  Achieving net zero emissions will require more than finding further operational efficiencies: we are embracing new technologies and switching to non-carbon and renewable fuels. We are working with fuel providers and others on deploying drop-in sustainable fuels like advanced biofuels and biogas today. Looking into the future green hydrogen and green methanol will likely contribute to our decarbonization, as will synthetic e-fuels. Our focus is the development of scalable solutions that can be used universally.

About the Cruise Division of MSC Group

The Cruise Division of MSC Group, the leading privately held Swiss-based shipping and logistics conglomerate with over 300 years of maritime heritage, is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, and has two distinct brands within its structure - the contemporary and luxury brands.

MSC Cruises, the contemporary brand, is the world's third largest cruise brand as well as the leader in Europe, South America, the Middle East and Southern Africa with more market share in addition to deployed capacity than any other player. It is also the fastest growing global cruise brand with a strong presence in the Caribbean, North America and the Far East markets.

Its fleet comprises 22 modern vessels combined with a sizeable future global investment portfolio of new vessels and is projected to grow to 23 cruise ships by 2025.

MSC Cruises offers its guests an enriching, immersive and safe cruise experience inspired by the Company's European heritage, where they can enjoy international dining, world-class entertainment, award-winning family programs and the very latest user-friendly technology on board.

Meanwhile the luxury brand, Explora Journeys, is set to start operating in 2023 with a fleet with the latest and most advanced environmental and maritime technologies available. The first of which will have a gross tonnage of 63,900 GT and feature 461 of the largest suites at sea, all with ocean front terraces. These luxury ships will introduce to the luxury segment a broad range of new guest experiences and other activities as well as generous ratios of public spaces, in addition to showcasing highly innovative design.

MSC has long been committed to environmental stewardship with a long-term goal to achieve net zero emissions for its operations by 2050. The Company is also a significant investor in next-generation environmental marine technologies, with the objective to support their accelerated development and availability industry-wide.

Thanks to the expertise of its teams and its network of subcontractors, combined with top industrial technology, Chantiers de l'Atlantique is a key leader in the design, integration, testing and precise delivery of cruise ships, naval vessels, electrical substations for offshore wind farms and fleet services. The company is a pioneer in the challenges of tomorrow. Thanks to its research and development, Chantiers de l'Atlantique offers ships with the highest environmental performance, as well as equipment for offshore wind farms, making it a major player in global energy transition.

¹MSC Euribia is expected to be the most energy-efficient cruise ship in the world, performing beyond the latest IMO Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI) requirements. When in service, the vessel emits up to 19% fewer greenhouse gas emissions per passenger per day than her sisterships which use conventional marine fuels. This amounts to 44% less greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions per passenger per day than cruise ships built for MSC Cruises only 10 years ago.

SOURCE MSC Cruises