MSC Cruise Ships Post Verified Methane Slip Below FuelEU Default

MSC Cruises is tying its long-range ship design strategy to LNG propulsion, alternative-fuel readiness and AI-based energy management, Chief Energy Transition Officer Michele Francioni said, as the line plans vessels expected to operate for 35 years or more. The company now has three LNG-powered ships in service and an orderbook that includes additional World class vessels and a new four-ship class scheduled to begin deliveries in 2030.

FuelEU Maritime's reduction pathway reaches 2050. Ships designed now could still be operating after that date.

LNG remains MSC's current fuel platform

Francioni said vessels being designed today need to sail beyond the industry's present sustainability goals because they may enter service about five years from now and remain active for more than three decades. He described LNG as MSC's current choice for lower-emission operations, citing energy security and efficiency.

MSC currently operates three LNG-powered vessels: MSC Euribia, MSC World Europa and MSC World America. Its World class ships are roughly 216,000 GT and carry close to 6,800 passengers.

"The year 2025 was a very good one for our fuel implementation in Europe," Francioni said, adding that MSC "met our target and created a surplus in both LNG and bio-LNG." He said that performance supported the company's fuel strategy despite continued regulatory uncertainty.

Six additional LNG-powered World class ships are planned, including MSC World Asia in 2026 and MSC World Atlantic in 2027. MSC has also ordered four next-generation ships under a new class called New Frontier, with deliveries beginning in 2030.

Methane data becomes part of the compliance case

MSC's LNG-powered ships are also subject to FuelEU Maritime, the EU regulation that has applied since Jan. 1, 2025, to ships above 5,000 GT calling at EU/EEA ports. The rule sets well-to-wake greenhouse-gas intensity limits for onboard energy and includes carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide, with the reduction pathway moving from 2% in 2025 to 80% by 2050 against a 2020 baseline.

On May 21, MSC said MSC World Europa and MSC Euribia received independent verification and flag-state recognition of their actual methane emissions in work conducted with Bureau Veritas Marine & Offshore for FuelEU Maritime compliance. MSC said it was the first cruise line to obtain that verification.

The measured methane slip values were 1.67% for MSC World Europa and 1.48% for MSC Euribia, below the 3.1% default value in FuelEU Maritime Annex II. Methane slip is the unburned methane that escapes through engine exhaust, and it affects LNG's lifecycle emissions accounting because methane has a greater warming effect than carbon dioxide.

"By replacing default assumptions with independently verified data based on real world ship performance," Francioni said, MSC is "strengthening the accuracy and credibility of emissions reporting under FuelEU Maritime."

AI work targets onboard energy demand

Francioni said new fuels and ship technologies must be introduced without compromising safety for passengers, crew or communities. "A big challenge is ensuring that the crew is fit for purpose and well-trained to deal with these technologies," he said.

He also pointed to artificial intelligence as a practical tool for cutting onboard energy use. MSC used AI in an air-conditioning project, an area Francioni said can draw several megawatts, by analyzing millions of pages of data.

"By simply optimizing what we call the concentration or the chiller water, we were able to save an enormous amount of energy," Francioni said. He added that the broader challenge is identifying which AI products and applications can produce measurable operational gains on complex ships.

MSC has said the New Frontier vessels are expected to operate using alternative fuels, but it has not confirmed their energy systems.