Not only MSC, all of Fincantieri’s jibes on hydrogen
Fincantieri will build two hydrogen ships for MSC. The order comes one year after the signing of the MoU by Fincantieri, Snam and Msc Cruises to evaluate the design and construction of the first hydrogen-powered cruise ship in the world
Fincantieri pushes on the accelerator towards zero emissions: the group will build two hydrogen ships for MSC.
Today Explora Journeys, the luxury travel brand of the Cruise Division of the MSC Group, and Fincantieri announced the signing of a memorandum of agreement for the construction of two additional hydrogen powered luxury cruise ships, thus bringing the total number of the fleet from four to six units.
The Explora Journeys fleet will now include six ships: EXPLORA III, IV, V and VI will all be powered by LNG, the latter two also powered by hydrogen. The two additional ships will bring the total value of the order for the group led by Pierroberto Folgiero to 3.5 billion euros.
The construction of these two hydrogen cruise ships represents the concrete passage from words to deeds for the shipowner and shipyard on hydrogen propulsion. In July 2021, the Cruise Division of the MSC Group (which belongs to the Aponte family), Fincantieri and Snam had in fact announced a MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) to jointly evaluate the design and construction of the first hydrogen-powered cruise ship in the world .
And on 1 February the launching ceremony of Zeu s (Zero Emission Ultimate Ship), an experimental naval unit powered by a fuel cell for navigation at sea and the first of its kind at sea, took place at the Castellammare plant of the shipbuilding group. world. The electrochemical device allows to obtain electricity directly from hydrogen without thermal combustion process.
But in the path towards the energy transition, Fincantieri also focuses on cold ironing. In March 2021 , together with Enel X, it signed a letter of intent to evaluate the development of initiatives for the electrification of the country's port infrastructures.
All the details.
THE VALUE OF THE AGREEMENT WITH EXPLORA JOURNEYS (MSC)
Therefore, the two new ships to be built, namely Explora V and Explora VI, increase the economic value of the agreement to 3.5 billion euros. As explained in the note from Fincantieri, this figure "includes the updating of EXPLORA III and IV [initially designed with traditional engines] with LNG engines, for an additional 120 million each". This is a change that required a temporary interruption of the works due to the significant redesign of the ships, whose delivery is now scheduled for 2026 and 2027 ″.
"This is, by far, the first major new construction agreement after the pandemic emergency and testifies not only to the further growth of our long-term partnership with MSC but also to the confidence of both groups in the future of the cruise industry" commented the CEO of Fincantieri Folgiero.
DELIVERIES
The two new buildings will enter service in 2027 and 2028 respectively.
THE CHARACTERISTICS OF EXPORA VE VI
EXPLORA V and VI will feature a new liquefied natural gas (LNG) engine. In addition, the units will be equipped with industry-leading environmental solutions, including a liquid hydrogen collection system that is expected to use this low-emission fuel. The hydrogen fuel – the note explains – will power a six megawatt fuel cell to produce emission-free energy for operation from the hotel areas and allow ships to operate at “zero emissions” in port, with the engines off.
"CLEAN" FUEL
As Fincantieri points out, LNG is the cleanest marine fuel currently available on a large scale and virtually eliminates local emissions of atmospheric pollutants such as sulfur oxides (99%), nitrogen oxides (85%) and particles (98%).
THE FLEET OF EXPLORA JOURNEYS
In addition, all six ships of Explora Journeys – adds Fincantieri – will be equipped with the most recent environmental and marine technologies, and equipped with the most recent selective catalytic reduction systems to allow a reduction of nitrogen oxide emissions by 90%. They will also be equipped with plug-in connectivity for shore power to reduce emissions in ports and equipped with underwater noise management equipment to protect marine life. All ships will also have a full range of energy-efficient on-board equipment to optimize engine use and further reduce emissions.
The Cruise Division of the MSC Group is committed to achieving the zero emissions target for its fleet operations by 2050.
THE FINCANTIERI, MSC AND SNAM PROJECT FOR HYDROGEN SHIPS
Today's order comes exactly one year after the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) by the Cruise Division of the MSC, Fincantieri and Snam Group to jointly evaluate the design and construction of the first hydrogen-powered cruise ship in the world.
FINCANTIERI ALSO AIMS AT COLD IRONING
However, the shipbuilding giant led by Pierroberto Folgiero does not only look at hydrogen-powered ships.
In March 2021, Fincantieri signed a letter of intent with Enel X which provides for the joint launch of green initiatives in the management of port infrastructures.
The two groups, which will initially focus their efforts on the national territory, will proceed with the implementation of cold ironing, the technology for the shore power supply of ships moored during stops.
Enel X and Fincantieri will also work on sustainable management and optimization of energy exchanges in the new infrastructures. In addition to systems for the storage and production of electricity, also through the use of renewable sources, and the application of fuel cells.
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/smartcity/non-solo-msc-tutte-le-strambate-di-fincantieri-idrogeno/ on Wed, 06 Jul 2022 12:59:05 +0000.